Cardoso Praises Sundowns’ Resilience After Comeback Win
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso revealed that he encouraged his players to maintain their composure despite trailing Marumo Gallants 1-0 at halftime at the Dr. Molemela Stadium on Wednesday.
Sundowns fell behind in the first half when Junior Dion headed home Daniel Msendami’s left-footed cross at the far post, with several Sundowns defenders failing to track the run.
Marcelo Allende leveled the score with a scuffed effort in the second half. Lucas Ribeiro Costa then gave Sundowns the lead in the 80th minute, capitalizing on a pass from Arthur Sales for his 10th league goal of the season.
Iqraam Rayners extended Sundowns’ lead to two goals in the 81st minute, pouncing on a rebound after his initial shot was saved by Washington Arubi.
“I said to them don’t change anything, just keep going and going,” Cardoso explained on SuperSport TV after the game.
“I knew that the game could become emotional, and it was important to manage that and focus on what we wanted to achieve.
“Eventually, because of that anxiety of trying to score the second goal, I also told them that the nail could be big, but the hammer would be stronger to drive it into the wood. We did it convincingly, leaving no doubt about the merit of the victory.
“It was interesting to see how we finished, but it’s becoming too easy to unsettle our players repeatedly. This is a very disciplined team, even if it doesn’t always appear that way.”
Sundowns finished the match with ten men after goalkeeper Denis Onyango was sent off late in the game for a foul on Gabadinho Mhango outside the box.
With Sundowns having used all their substitutions, Thapelo Morena took over goalkeeping duties for the final minutes.
Gallants were unable to truly test Morena, with Junior Zindoga’s header flashing wide. Sundowns held on to secure the win.
Sundowns now have 45 points after 17 matches, a 12-point lead over second-placed Orlando Pirates (who have three games in hand). Pirates’ game against Golden Arrows on Wednesday was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch at Mpumalanga Stadium.
