Cardoso Blames Fatigue For Galaxy Loss

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso attributed their loss to TS Galaxy on Tuesday night to fatigue, stating that his players were running on an empty tank.

Sundowns’ seven-game unbeaten streak ended with a 1-0 defeat to Galaxy at Mbombela Stadium. This was also Cardoso’s first league loss as Sundowns coach since taking over from Manqoba Mngqithi in December.

Cardoso explained that playing just 72 hours after a physically demanding match against Orlando Pirates (which they won 4-1) took a toll on the players. He noted a clear drop in energy levels in the second half, making it difficult to execute their intentions despite strategic changes.

Despite the loss, Sundowns still lead the league table with 42 points from 16 matches, nine points ahead of second-placed Orlando Pirates, who have two games in hand.

“In the second half, it was clear the energy, we were on a low battery,” Cardoso said after the game. 

“It was very difficult, despite the intentions to try to do things, it was not easy and it was very high levels of fatigue, for sure. 

“We tried to change what we could to help the team, change strategically to approach the game differently, the position of the team on the pitch, we could not overcome that. 

“And due to that, we get the negative results.”  

Cardoso emphasized the need for rest and recovery, acknowledging the extreme difficulty of playing four matches in quick succession. He also admitted to some mistakes made during the game.

“Now, we have to get up, rest, and recover because we were not at our best in the world after the last match,” he said.  

“It was impossible to play the fourth match in 72 hours in a row and I also think we made some mistakes. We tried and we tried our best.”  

This was Sundowns’ second league defeat of the season; they also lost to Polokwane City in October under Mngqithi.

Sundowns now face Mpheni Home Defenders in the Nedbank Cup round of 16 at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday (15:00).