Cardoso Eyes Club World Cup Upset
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso wants to make history with the African giants in the Club World Cup by going toe-to-toe with the best teams in the world.
Cardoso, as the assistant coach under now Portugal technical director Domingos Paciência, made history in 2011 by helping Sporting Braga shock Liverpool in the UEFA Europa League Round of 16. Braga won 1-0 on aggregate after the first leg ended in a goalless draw at Anfield.
As that was a result in a glittering campaign, Braga went on to beat sides like Dynamo Kyiv in the quarterfinals.
Braga’s rivals, Benfica, who are also set to participate in the Club World Cup, were beaten in the semi-finals. However, in the final hurdle, Braga lost to fellow compatriots FC Porto at Aviva Stadium in Ireland, through a headed goal by Radamel Falcao.
“That Braga team came from the two pre-qualifying rounds in the Champions League. Then we went to the group stage before dropping into the Europa League and then we got to the final! We were clearly the underdogs in the competition,” Cardoso recalls with FIFA.com.
It is that underdog spirit that Cardoso wants his South African champions to channel when they come up against Ulsan HD of Korea Republic, Brazilian heavyweights Fluminense, and last year’s UEFA Champions League Finalists Borussia Dortmund. Sundowns start Group F against Ulsan at Inter&Co Stadium on Tuesday at midnight.
Sundowns is participating in the Club World Cup for the second time, having made their debut in 2016. Unfortunately, they were given a shock as they lost both matches – 2-0 against Kashima Antlers in the second round and 4-1 to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the Third Place Play-Off.
Real Madrid beat Kashima Antlers 4-2 during extra time in that final, with Zimbabwean referee Janny Sikazwe becoming the first African referee to officiate the FIFA Club World Cup final.
However, this experience of having lost both matches in 2016 has not deterred Cardoso in any way.
“We believe we can challenge ourselves and create challenges for our opponents,” he said.
“That’s what will be the most important thing. We want to compete.
“We understand the reality, but we are willing to do our best in every challenge that we’ll face. It’s also a test to see what level we are at.
“We know that in Africa, we are one of the biggest teams, but we also want to understand at what level we can be, compared to different teams around the world.”
