Cardoso Reacts as Sundowns Lose Super Cup After Champions League Shock, Says It’s Not a Disaster
Mamelodi Sundowns started the season as champions of Africa. Now they have no continental football left, and Miguel Cardoso is facing the biggest questions of his Masandawana reign.
The Brazilians lost to USM Alger in the CAF Super Cup at Loftus Versfeld on Sunday, days after their shock Champions League exit to Wiliete SC, which meant missing the group stage for the first time in over a decade.
For a club that counts itself among Africa’s elite, it has been a brutal few weeks. Cardoso did not hide from the defeat.
“We made mistakes that were penalised by goals, there wasn’t much actions from USMA, the difference was the level of profit they had from what they created, compared to what we didn’t take from what we created,” he said.
He pointed to the weather, but refused to use it as an excuse.
“When I saw the conditions of the pitch in the second half, I knew it would be tough for us, it was not easy to play [with the rain], it was catastrophic, but it’s not excuses. I think we had bad luck to get the sparkle to get us back in the match.
“We then went down by two goals on counter attack and then there’s the emotions that follow, we tried, we knew USMA had character as a North African team, it became tricky, congratulations to USMA, the players and the club.”
Sundowns now head into a two-and-a-half week FIFA break with no continental games left in their calendar this season. Cardoso said the only answer is to get back to winning.
“There’s always something to learn from negatives, I don’t see another way forward, we wanted to win this,” he said.
“You remember the match I played here a few years ago [with Esperance], Sundowns dominated, and then there was the rain that delayed, and it was not conditions for Sundowns to show the best they have.
“Results like this bring you down to the floor, but only one way to react, we have challenges in the short-term, that’s how big teams get out of it. It’s not disaster or catastrophe, there’s no losers in this. I won’t say who was the better team.”
The Carling Cup semi-final and the league title race and the Nedbank Cup are all that remain for Masandawana, and the pressure is on Cardoso.
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