Cardoso: “Winning Is The Only Language”
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso insists that the only way to fend off a surging Orlando Pirates for the Betway Premiership title is to maintain a relentless winning streak, regardless of the scoreline.
Sundowns maintained their top spot with a 1-0 victory over Durban City at Chatsworth Stadium on Tuesday night.
Cardoso’s side went into the match knowing that a win would be enough to retain first place, despite Orlando Pirates hammering Golden Arrows 5-0 earlier on Tuesday.
With the result, Sundowns became the first team to defeat Durban City in a league match at Chatsworth Stadium.
It also means Sundowns, who have now won 10 consecutive league matches, completed a double over City, having beaten them 3-1 in the reverse fixture at Lucas Moripe Stadium in September last year.
“The sequence is simple: win games, win games,” said Cardoso.
“There is very little margin for error, and that is what we have to deal with.”
Durban City were forced into a rearguard effort against an in-form Sundowns side that had won nine league matches in a row prior to this encounter.
Sundowns showed their quality early, taking the lead in the 11th minute when Katlego Ntsabeleng scored his first goal for the club, finishing off a move started by Marcelo Allende to beat Darren Keet.
The victory takes Cardoso’s side to 56 points after 23 matches, while Pirates remain second on 54 points, having played the same number of games.
With seven matches remaining, the margin for error remains slim, especially with Pirates producing convincing victories.
“There are no victories if you don’t play the game the way you should,” Cardoso said.
“But we also need to understand that we have many matches ahead, and we must manage the team to be at the right level without losing focus on what is most important, which is winning.
“We want to fight every game with the right energy. We focus on performance, on playing well, and on maintaining our style.
“If we take the game in another direction, we can be punished because that is not how we want to play.
“We cannot separate performance from results, because our performances are what produce results, while staying true to our style of play on the pitch.”
