Cardoso Praises Rayner’s Exceptional Performance
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso heaped praise on his striker Iqraam Rayners after their 1-0 victory over Ulsan in the FIFA Club World Cup opener on Wednesday.
Rayners scored the winning goal and was named Man of the Match for his outstanding performance, despite having two goals disallowed by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
“Iqraam is obviously a player that has wonderful qualities and understands how to use spaces on the pitch,” Cardoso said.
“He did that throughout the season, highs and lows, but he finished on a high level. He did very well not only in South Africa but also in the CAF Champions League, and now showing it in the World Cup.
“It’s just a wonderful thing to have quality players, and in the locker room, it’s full of them, some of them don’t usually play, but I’m happy to have all of them.”
The Portuguese mentor also praised other key players, including Peter Shalulile, who didn’t play in the match, and Thapelo Maseko, who wasn’t part of the squad.
“I can also be happy to have Peter Shalulile, who didn’t play today because he is so important for us,” Cardoso said.
“We also have Maseko, who is not here with us, and I think he is also important for us.
“As much as we would love to have them all, the problem is that we only play with 11 players, but they are all important for us.”
The former Esperance Sportive de Tunis coach emphasized the importance of controlling the game with possession.
“Our best capacity was to be able to control the game with the ball because that’s where we appear,” he said.
“That’s the challenge we’ll face in the next games, we need to control the game with the ball because if we don’t do that, it will be tough for us to overcome the challenges.”
Cardoso added that the team studied Ulsan well and adjusted their strategy accordingly.
“They’re a strong team, and we studied them very well because if we gave them what they wanted, it would be difficult for us. I think that’s what I also keep on emphasizing during halftime, because we wanted to be stronger,” he said.
The win puts Sundowns top of Group F, and they will look to build on this momentum when they face Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.
