Cardoso hails Sundowns’ ‘spectacle’ after 3-0 Siwelele win

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso described his side’s 3-0 victory over Siwelele as an “animated” spectacle after the result moved them six points clear at the top of the Betway Premiership.

Sundowns have played two matches more than reigning champions and nearest challengers Orlando Pirates, who have CAF interclub commitments this week.

Cardoso praised the quality and tempo of the game at Loftus, where Sundowns maintained their dominance despite making several changes to the team that defeated Golden Arrows last weekend.

“It was a very animated game, very dynamic. Obviously when we play under these kind of conditions in terms of the grass and you know that in the past there was here and there some matches where the pitch was not in extraordinary conditions and now we see a fantastic Loftus. Obviously it produces a quick game, produces quality,” said Cardoso.

The Portuguese coach also paid tribute to Godfrey Mosoetsa, who took interim charge of Siwelele after Lehlohonolo Seema was sacked on Monday.

“It was beautiful to see how the teams expressed themselves and how they felt the amusement, the joy to play on a pitch like that. I would also like to give a word to Coach Godfrey. He just picked the team.

“It’s not easy to play a match like this, to pick and prepare a team for a match like this. I told him I had the opportunity to be with him and tell him bravo because the boys put in a good fight on the pitch also. Despite all those conditions it was clear that by the stats, if you look at the match that my boys did, so also time and opportunity.

“I take it in hand to congratulate them. It’s not easy to play so many matches in a row and still keep capacity to fight until the last minute.”

Cardoso’s team controlled the contest after making changes to the starting line-up, and the coach was pleased that their level of performance did not drop.

He explained that Khulumani Ndamane was replaced by Mothobi Mvala because Sundowns did not want to risk being reduced to 10 men while the score was still level.

“First of all, regarding Ndamane, there was no option when it was 0-0; you don’t want to miss a player and have to fight for a result with 10 players. Clearly, he had a situation that was on the edge. The second action is a foul, and consecutive fouls can bring a yellow card again, so we are just avoiding that.

“I was happy to have Mothobi back on the pitch after many matches of non-official competitions. He has been playing in friendlies and he was very good in the preparations, as were the others.”

Mvala had been sidelined from competitive action for an extended period, although Cardoso said he had continued to feature in friendly matches and had impressed during training and preparations.

The Sundowns manager also provided an update on new signing Deano van Rooyen, who is still being integrated into the squad.

“On Van Rooyen, we obviously think that he can add things to the team; otherwise, he would not come to Sundowns. He is a quality player; his career speaks for him. We need to integrate him as quickly as possible. We trust the players we have, and we will continue to trust them. But we need more options; we don’t only need to bring in quality but also numbers so that if there is any case of an injury, we don’t remain without options.”

Sundowns’ victory strengthens their position at the summit, although Orlando Pirates have games in hand while they pursue their CAF commitments.