Sundowns have secured a CAF Champions League quarterfinal spot, but coach Miguel Cardoso’s reaction reveals unexpected frustration despite the achievement.
On Sunday afternoon, Mamelodi Sundowns secured their place in the CAF Champions League quarter-finals, but their head coach Miguel Cardoso could not fully celebrate.
Despite the achievement, the Portuguese coach expressed dissatisfaction with how his team let victory slip through their fingers in the final moments of their group stage match against AS FAR.
The game, held at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, ended in a 1-1 stalemate after AS FAR scored a late equalizer.
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The result saw the Moroccan side leapfrog Sundowns to claim the top spot in the group, leaving Cardoso with a mix of pride and frustration.
“We made a mistake,” Cardoso admitted during his post-match press conference as per SABC.
“I told you here in the press conference before the match yesterday that the details will be very important. We knew that usually from situations where players could progress and into the box, they will make cut-back passes, so we were prepared, but unfortunately, we did not control these players, and we suffered because of that.”
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While the Sundowns have maintained their record of reaching the quarter-finals in every edition of the tournament since 2018, Cardoso’s comments reflected his ambition to secure the top position in the group.
“But I think it’s very important that we don’t take for granted the fact that we went to the group stage and not make of it a bad moment. No, it’s a very, very positive moment because when we arrived in the club, everybody was thinking what would happen to us because the situation was not very comfortable,” Cardoso explained.
The coach also highlighted the significance of their earlier victory against Raja Casablanca, which had revived their campaign.
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However, Sunday’s result underscored the challenges of competing in Africa’s elite competition.
“I’m happy, the players are happy. Obviously, it’s normal that the coach that is ambitious suffers a goal 20 minutes from finishing the game in a moment where we had all control of the game and loses first position on the table,” Cardoso said.
“Obviously, it gets a little bit disappointing, but that comes from our ambition, from the fact that we know which club we represent, and from the fact that we were prepared to win the game.”
The Sundowns’ players left the pitch visibly deflated, a reaction Cardoso believes will fuel their preparation for tougher challenges in the next stage.
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He stressed that their emotions should not overshadow the broader achievement of advancing to the quarter-finals.
“That emotion is natural to come on us, on myself, but we should not confuse that emotion with the sensation that we did a bad job. That’s completely the opposite,” Cardoso said.
“The fact that you are not happy because you suffered a goal makes you feel like it’s a defeat, but it’s not a defeat.”
Cardoso emphasized the equality of the teams remaining in the competition and downplayed the impact of finishing second.
“There were two results on the table. I remember yesterday you asked me a question: ‘What about if you lose the game, what will happen?’ We didn’t lose; we got our result,” he said.
“Now we understand that the teams are all equal in the next round, very equal, and because of that, being first or second eventually is not a big difference.”
