Sundowns incredible run across all competitions this season was ended by CR Belouizdad on Friday afternoon when they beat the Group B leaders 2-0 at Loftus Versveld Stadium and progress to the quarter-finals alongside the Brazilians.
While Mokwena and his troops still finished group winners it was a rather subdued display and below the usual standards set in the 2020/21 campaign but he refused to lay blame to the fringe players who were afforded opportunities.
"The monkey is off our back a little bit with this unbeaten record that everyone talks about and it's good for the squad sometimes to get a wake-up call and understand we not invincible and without humility and feet on the ground, the game of football can turn," he said.
"These are the lessons you've got to take because, as Nelson Mandela said, you don't lose, you learn and it's important for us that if we lose a match over 90 minutes, we win with regards to the education, we take the lessons. And the biggest lesson is complacency."
"The players at Mamelodi Sundowns always try their best to win football matches, it's not about effort, desire or commitment. As a technical team, we are accountable for the results and performances," Mokwena added.
"Sometimes it's not even about the desire, will or quality, you can't question the quality of our players. You have Ricardo Goss who's got extensive international experience, a Bafana Bafana goalkeeper, Brian Onyango is a Kenya captain, Ricardo Nascimento is a Brazilian import, [Aubrey] Modiba [is a] Bafana international, Thapelo... you can go on.
"It's not always about the quality, at times we have to shield them a little bit and take [the criticism] we make the decisions to put them in the line-up and we have to be accountable."
Sundowns could face Egyptian giants Al Ahly, Kaizer Chiefs or MC Alger in the quarter-final of the Champions League next month.