“10 Games In 46 Days” – Unfazed Cardoso Sends Defiant Message To Title Rivals Pirates
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso remains unfazed by a punishing April schedule, insisting his squad is prepared for a “crunch” run of fixtures as the Betway Premiership title race reaches its boiling point.
Sundowns, locked in a fierce title race with Orlando Pirates, returned to the top of the Betway Premiership with a convincing 4-1 victory over Chippa United at Loftus Stadium on Friday night.
The match was capped by a sublime late goal from Brayan León, who scored from an acute angle in the closing minutes.
León’s strike came after Chippa goalkeeper Dumisani Msibi failed to clear a pass from Tashreeq Matthews, allowing the Colombian forward to curl the ball into an empty net. The goal took his tally to five since arriving during the January transfer window.
The victory moved Sundowns two points clear of Pirates, taking them to 53 points from 22 matches, while their rivals slipped to second place, having played the same number of games.
With neither side showing signs of dropping points, the title race is shaping up to be an intense battle, where any slip could prove costly after a gruelling season.
Having already played one match in April, Sundowns face a packed schedule, with six more fixtures to come. They travel to face Durban City on Tuesday before taking on Esperance away in the first leg of their CAF Champions League semi-final on 12 April.
Three days later, they will return to domestic action against Polokwane City away from home. That will be followed by the second leg against Esperance on 18 April, where Sundowns will be aiming to reach the final for a second consecutive season.
They then host Stellenbosch on 22 April before wrapping up a demanding month with an away clash against Richards Bay on 25 April.
Despite the congested schedule, Cardoso remains unfazed.
“I told you before the match, we played 10 matches in 46 days recently,” said Cardoso on SuperSport TV.
“Well, I wish a happy Easter to everyone at home and to all South Africans. My family was here, and it was fantastic to enjoy South Africa with them. Thank you very much, South Africa, and happy Easter to everybody.”
Sundowns were looking to respond after a 2-0 away defeat to Stade Malien in the CAF Champions League prior to this match, although the result was still enough to secure their place in the semi-finals.
Chippa, meanwhile, arrived struggling for form, sitting 13th on the table with just 20 points from 22 games and desperate to move away from the relegation zone.
“As I said before the match, there is no PSL game that is easy,” Cardoso added.
“The boys understood the message, but the goal before halftime caused a bit of insecurity. However, the message at halftime was clear — we needed to stay committed, take control of the game, and score the fourth goal to finish it. Now we move forward to the next one on Tuesday.”
