Cardoso: Pirates Didn’t Want To Play In Second Half

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has hit out at Orlando Pirates players for their behavior after The Brazilians pulled one goal back in their 2-1 defeat in the top-of-the-table Betway Premiership affair on Sunday.

Masandawana were subjected to their third league defeat of the season, falling to a quick Relebohile Mofokeng double in just a space of two minutes in the opening five minutes of the game. 

Khuliso Mudau’s second-half strike only proved to be a consolation.

The defending champions still have a healthy lead at the summit of the table with a 15-point gap having picked up 58 points. However, Sundowns played four games more than second-placed Buccaneers, who have accumulated 43 points in 19 league outings.

Despite a lackluster performance, the 52-year-old tactician believes his charges grew into the game and applied themselves better than the Sea Robbers in the second stanza, stating that they forced Jose Riveiro’s men to adopt a low-block approach with their quality.

“We knew that a goal could bring us back in the game and obviously the sooner we got it the better. I think we entered the second half well, we completely controlled [the game], ” said Cardoso, who took over the hot seat at Chloorkop in December 2024.

“There’s nothing to say about the fact that Pirates closed and tried to play from the back. We could also put them there, so I respect the work of both teams.” 

Cardoso went on to target Pirates, claiming that Riveiro’s troops adopted dirty tricks to stop the game from flowing and disrupt the momentum, which subsequently led to his side succumbing to defeat.

“But after we scored our goal around 15 minutes [into the second half], there was no football [played], and that I don’t feel very comfortable with because I think that in the level that this match should be related to because we are talking about the best football that can be played in South Africa, we cannot have players falling down and during 15 minutes no one is playing football, ” the Portuguese mentor lamented.

“So, I think that period was not very good but then there was still a couple of minutes to play. I tried to give more energy to the team [with substitutions] because I think we lost the belief in the end.”

The Tshwane giants will switch focus to their CAF Champions League quarterfinal meeting with Tunisian powerhouse Esperance de Tunis after the international break. After hosting the Taraji, Sundowns will be back in league action with a visit from Stellenbosch FC.