Cardoso breathes easy as shaky Sundowns dig deep after African nightmare

Miguel Cardoso, Mamelodi Sundowns head coach, expressed relief after his team secured a 1-0 victory over Marumo Gallants on Tuesday, advancing to the Carling Knockout quarter-finals. The Moroccan-born coach experienced a wave of relief following Sundowns' shocking preliminary-round exit from the CAF Champions League earlier in the week, where a 1-1 draw against Angola's Wiliete SC ended their title defense.

The win provided much-needed respite for the Tshwane-based team, who had already claimed the MTN8 and FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Cup this season, making the continental crown their main objective. Cardoso attributed their lack of rhythm against Gallants to emotional fatigue and necessary squad rotation, acknowledging that the team's fluid style suffered as a result.

He admitted that, despite playing much better in one match, Sundowns fell short and were eliminated from the Champions League. Cardoso recognized that the match on Tuesday was not a masterpiece but demonstrated the character needed to win, close, and move forward. Siyanda Ndlovu scored the decisive goal in the 20th minute, but the disjointed first-half display led Cardoso to bring in Aubrey Modiba and Marcelo Allende from the bench to restore control.

The coach emphasized the importance of the victory in helping the team move forward, explaining that the emotional moment they experienced required changes, and a lack of key players led to a decline in the team's fluidity. Despite the lack of sparkle in the match, Cardoso took comfort in his side's grit, praising their fight and understanding of the situation, ultimately stating that what mattered was to achieve stability and progress.