Cardoso Admits To Poor Start

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has acknowledged that his team did not have the best start to the 2025/26 season, after a draw against Chippa United at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.

For the first time in seven years, Sundowns failed to win their opening league match.

Chippa United came from behind with a goal from new signing Khaya Mfecane, who canceled out Arthur Sales’s first-half goal. Sundowns had been hoping for another victory against a side they had beaten in their last seven matches.

“The outcome, obviously, it is not the best, and we didn’t start well,” Cardoso said. “When you play against these kinds of teams, you need to have the edge on the pitch and take the game to them.”

Cardoso expressed his disappointment with the team’s performance, even while they were winning. “We controlled the ball and the possession to play in the spaces, but it seems that we didn’t have the proper intensity or the capacity to escape from duels,” he explained. “It was a much more physical game than the way we have to play. Even though we were winning at halftime, I was not happy.”

The coach noted that the team started the second half better but quickly lost momentum, conceding a goal that “came out of nowhere” and gave Chippa the energy they were looking for. “We were penalized for what we didn’t do in the first half,” he added.

Focus Shifts to AmaZulu

On Tuesday, Sundowns will host AmaZulu at Loftus Stadium. Unlike Sundowns, AmaZulu started their season on a high note, beating newcomers Orbit College on Saturday. Cardoso admitted that the draw against Chippa has put pressure on his team.

“Yes, it’s another game, another story,” Cardoso said, emphasizing the need for a win. “There are things to learn from this game [Chippa], obviously. That game we have to win from the first minute to the last.”