Cardoso Praises Sundowns’ Tactical Acumen In Draw Against Alger

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso lauded his team’s tactical prowess after a goalless draw against MC Alger in their CAF Champions League group stage match on Friday evening.

The Brazilians remained at the top of Group C with four points, while MC Alger stayed third with one point.

According to Cardoso, the key to Sundowns’ success lay in their ability to control the tempo of the game from the back.

“I think that the truth of the game is that Sundowns tried to have control of the match as we were trying to play from the back with the ball,” he said.

“Obviously, when you don’t press the goalkeeper, that’s immediately not an extra man or free player.

“It was very clear that MC Alger didn’t want to give a free player to Sundowns because that would have allowed us to arrive with more numbers in the front and would also have given us an advantage.

“But it was also clear that we found a technical way to build, create, and control the match.

“It’s clear from the stats that the level of control that Sundowns had on the match in a context that was difficult because Alger has quality players in the front, and if we made any mistake, they would have scored.”

The Portuguese coach’s words highlighted the tactical battle that played out on the pitch, with both teams employing clever strategies to outmaneuver each other.

Cardoso’s Sundowns were keen to maintain possession and control the game, while MC Alger’s Rulani Mokwena opted for a more defensive approach, aiming to catch their

opponents on the counter.

The match was a repeat of the tactical battle the two coaches had in the 2023/24 season, when Cardoso’s Esperance beat Mokwena’s Sundowns in the Champions League

semi-final.

Despite the goalless draw, Cardoso was pleased with his team’s performance.

“In the Champions League matches, it’s very important to be very clever, and I think that Sundowns was a very clever team on the pitch,” he added.

“I think if we opened ourselves up, we would have scored many goals, but we managed to control the game because if we didn’t manage it, we would have suffered, and we did a wonderful job.”

The draw means Sundowns will head into the AFCON break in a strong position, with Al Hilal and Lupopo set to face each other on Sunday, which could shake up the group

standings.

Sundowns will return to Champions League action on 23 January, hosting Al Hilal, while MC Alger will travel to DR Congo to face Lupopo.