Cardoso Exudes Confidence On Sundowns’ CAFCL Chances
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso is upbeat about his team’s chances of lifting the coveted CAF Champions League trophy at the expense of Pyramids FC after the two sides settled for a draw in the first leg in Pretoria.
The Brazilians will head into the second leg with a slight disadvantage, courtesy of the late away goal they conceded from Walid ElKarti in stoppage time after talisman Lucas Ribeiro Costa had given them the lead early in the second half.
Cardoso’s charges were visibly distraught at full time, and the Portuguese mentor has since challenged them to rise above the setback and display the character of champions elect as he believes Masandawana can go toe-to-toe with Pyramids away from home.
“The attitude of champions is seen when things don’t go well, because when things are just flowers, let’s say everything is beautiful, it’s easier to be a champion. Champions get up, they show themselves in difficult situations,” said the 52-year-old tactician.
“I think that we have a match to play, 90 minutes to and we have to take the responsibility to score one goal and go from there. We have all the capacity and all the strengths to go there [in Cairo] to fight with them.
“I told you [media] it will be a very difficult match; I knew the character that these players from Pyramids show. But I also know that we can raise the standards until the end.”
The former Esperance de Tunis boss went on to urge his troops to take responsibility for their blunder in the first meeting. Furthermore, the Sundowns coach expects the Cairo-based outfit to rest its key players in their midweek game despite being in contention for the Egyptian Premier League title.
“So, we have to do what we have to do, it’s a moment where you need to show a lot of character because we conceded a goal because we made a lot of mistakes in this first leg game,” added Cardoso, who was appointed in December last year.
“And we need to take the responsibility because it was we who mostly allowed the goal to be scored. When you have 40 seconds to finish a match, you need to be strong and run like an animal, and we didn’t. We allowed them to play the cross, and we didn’t position ourselves, so we just took the responsibility.
“I expect them [Pyramids] to change all the players in their midweek game [in the Egyptian league against Cemarica Cleopatra] for sure. They will not line up with any player that will play the second leg of the final.”
The Tshwane giants will be determined to return from the North as African champions for the second time in their history, while Pyramids will be eyeing a historic first-ever continental triumph. The return leg is scheduled for 1 June.
