Miguel Cardoso has described Mamelodi Sundowns’ shock Champions League exit is “a dark night,” and he wants his players to turn it into fuel.

The defending champions are out of Africa’s premier club competition, and the Sundowns coach has wasted no time pointing his squad at the silverware still on offer.

“For the rest of the season it means focusing even more on the competitions we need to play,” Cardoso said. “There’s a lot of trophies to play for.”

He did not pretend the exit doesn’t hurt. Sundowns had been expected to reach the group stage for a 12th consecutive time, and they have reached the final three years in a row.

“Obviously we can’t forget what it means to be out of the CAF Champions League, it’s hard for the club, hard for the coaches,” he said. “It’s very hard for the club who was supposed to be 12 times in a row in the group stage.”

Then came the speech. Cardoso reached for the history books to explain how he wants the setback to be seen.

“Great empires also come from ashes,” he said. “It was like after the First World War, many big countries grew up, after the Second World War, the same.”

He called the exit “a dark night,” but one he believes can drive the team forward. “It has to give us the energy and purpose to move forward and build more,” he said. “Maybe an important lesson to move ahead.”

The Brazilians have little time to dwell on it. A Carling Knockout Cup tie against Marumo Gallants comes this week, followed by Durban City and a CAF Super Cup clash with USM Alger.

Cardoso closed with the message he says he repeats often to his players. “We are not what happens to us. We are much more what we do when things happen to us,” he said. “That is the standard we need to take in the locker room and focus.”

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