Cardoso: “We Went To Sleep”
Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso admitted his players “went to sleep” around halftime as a lapse in concentration handed Golden Arrows a 1-0 victory in Sunday’s MTN8 semifinal first leg at Lucas Moripe Stadium.
Despite dominating early possession, Sundowns were caught off guard by a swift counterattack. Reigning Betway Premiership Golden Boot winner Junior Dion slotted the ball between the legs of Ricardo Goss to give the Durban side a valuable advantage heading into next weekend’s return fixture at King Zwelithini Stadium.
Reflecting on the match, Cardoso pointed to an extended stoppage during the first half—when Arrows goalkeeper Edward Maova was replaced by Thakasani Mbanjwa—as the moment his side lost their momentum.
“We had a good start, the first 20 minutes until the substitution of the goalkeeper,” reflected Cardoso on SuperSport TV.
“That took the rhythm out of the game. We were okay, but it took seven minutes to make the substitution, and we fell asleep until half-time.
“From mistakes similar to the one against Kaizer Chiefs, where we lose the ball and are not in possession when it comes to rest defence, we made a mistake and conceded a goal.
“It is time to learn how to deal with these situations, otherwise you cannot continue to dominate the game and then suffer from a simple action.
“Twice on the counterattack, they had two players entering the box to create danger. The story of the game is about creating opportunities one after the other. They defended very well, and we didn’t shoot as often as we would have liked because they defended very well.
“It is half-time in the tie, and let’s see what happens when we go to Arrows.”
Sundowns turn their attention back to the Betway Premiership when they host AmaZulu at Loftus Versfeld on Wednesday evening, before traveling to King Zwelithini Stadium for Sunday’s decisive second leg.
