Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso lauded reaching the CAF Champions League final for the second consecutive time as a fantastic milestone in his coaching career and credited his staff for their role in navigating the team to another final.

Cardoso, who was appointed by Sundowns in December after the team faltered in the competition’s group stages under the previous coach, Manqoba Mngqithi, secured a victory against defending champions Al Ahly on away goals after the second leg of their semi-final at Cairo International Stadium concluded in a 1-1 draw on Friday.

This result offered a measure of revenge for Cardoso, who had previously lost to Al Ahly in the final of the previous season while managing ES Tunis.

Sundowns are now set to face another Egyptian side, Pyramids, in the two-legged final next month. Pyramids eliminated Orlando Pirates in Cairo on the same Friday, winning 3-2 on aggregate after their match also ended with that scoreline.

This upcoming final presents Riveiro and his staff with another opportunity to rectify the outcome of last season’s final, this time against Pyramids.

“Obviously, for me as a coach, and my staff, it is wonderful to reach the Champions League final two years in a row,” Riveiro said via BeiN Sports. “It’s fantastic for me as a coach and brings great pleasure to my coaching career. Having the chance to work at a club that allows me to compete at this level is fantastic. I am very thankful to my players for their hard work, to the club for believing in me, and to my family at home for their support.”

Sundowns conceded the opening goal through a brilliant strike by Taher Mohamed in the first half but managed to equalize in the dying minutes with an own goal by Yasser Ibrahim, sending the Sundowns players and technical staff into elation.

This victory over Al Ahly extends Sundowns’ unbeaten record against Egyptian teams to nine matches in all competitions, a statistic Cardoso acknowledged before the game.

“It is now nine matches; Al Ahly has never won against Mamelodi Sundowns. I would understand if they had to be careful,” he stated. “Anyway, it’s not just about that; it’s also about the fact that we are playing very tight matches. We knew that scoring one goal would be good, and we also had to be defensively solid because we knew one goal could be enough.”