'Some calls were not the best' - Sundowns coach not happy with officiating after Baroka comeback

Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi bemoaned the officiating of referee Xola Sitela after Baroka FC clinched a dramatic stoppage-time comeback to salvage a 1-1 draw on Monday evening.

"I prefer not to talk about the referees because sometimes we make a lot of assumptions when we have not looked at the footage, but from what I've seen, I do believe there are some calls that were not the best," the coach said, addressing reporters via the club's media department.

The point moved champions-elect Sundowns to 48 points from 21 games, while Baroka climbed out of the relegation zone to 14th position, equalling Swallows with 14 points.

Despite several goal-scoring chances as Sundowns hit the woodwork on three occasions, Masandawana only claimed the lead early in the second-half through Lyle Lakay.

However, Baroka continued to ride their luck and took full advantage of it when Richard Mbulu half-volleyed an equalising draw to earn his side a vital point.

Mngqithi then detailed various calls in the match that he found dubious from referee Sitela.

"It's football, sometimes you see things that you thought you will never see, Rushine [De Reuck] and the opposition player go for a header, Rushine gets a yellow card, he goes out," Mngqithi told SuperSport TV.

"They are not treated; Rushine has to stay out; the opposition must be inside. That was the first incident.

"The next incident, 'AJ' [Andile Jali] is fouled with an elbow. It's appalling but nonetheless."

He added: "They piled a lot of pressure on us in the second-half; we did not create too many chances on this game.

"We were reliant on set-pieces; we could see that the game was going to demand a lot because the field is very narrow."

The Brazilians return in a Champions League