Sundowns switch focus to Premiership and Champions League after MTN8 success

Mamelodi Sundowns have little time to savour their MTN8 triumph, with coach Miguel Cardoso immediately turning his attention to a Premiership fixture against Richards Bay and the defence of their Champions League title.

Sundowns beat Orlando Pirates in Saturday’s final at Moses Mabhida Stadium to win their first domestic cup since 2022. They return to Durban on Tuesday to face Richards Bay at the Princess Magogo Stadium, knowing victory will keep them top of the Premiership, although they will have played one more match than second-placed Pirates.

Their next assignment will be a trip to Angola, where they face Wiliete Sport Clube in the opening leg of their Champions League final-round tie before the group stages.

“It is good to have collected two trophies by October, but there are still so many things to play for,” said Cardoso, who has won four trophies with Sundowns: the league in 2024-25, the Champions League last season, and the MTN8 and Fifa Africa-Asia-Pacific Cup this campaign.

“We need to start preparing for our match against Richards Bay and after that we are travelling to Angola for the Champions League.

“It’s a rollercoaster ride but you must enjoy it. We need to have fun while at it and this is what I always tell the players. I tell them that they must not forget to have fun when they play.

“Sometimes we need to take the match by the neck and also enjoy these moments.”

Pirates will also be in action on Tuesday, hosting TS Galaxy at Orlando Stadium as they seek three points to remain within reach of Sundowns. They travel to Namibia on Saturday to play African Stars in their bid to reach the Champions League group stages.

Cardoso said Sundowns must remain grounded while pursuing further success, with the club’s standards demanding continued ambition.

“Looking ahead is to be humble. We should be happy to have won two trophies already, but we must be humble enough to know that there is another match in two days.

“There is also a qualifier for the group stages of the Champions League next weekend in Angola. There are a lot of things ahead for us and we need to keep the focus and trust each other.

“These are the values the team has been developing and we must be ambitious. That’s how we can continue to state ourselves in this country where there is difficult competition.”

Cardoso said preparations for the MTN8 final had been complicated because Sundowns had their Bafana Bafana and other international players available for only three days.

Ronwen Williams, Ricardo Goss, Fawaaz Basadien, Thabang Matuludi, Aubrey Modiba, Khuluname Ndamane, Thapelo Morena, Bathusi Aubaas, Teboho Mokoena, Themba Zwane, Tashreeq Matthews, Cassius Mailula and Iqraam Rayners were with Bafana. Divine Lunga represented Zimbabwe, while Denis Onyango was with Uganda.

Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou faced a similar challenge. His planning was largely completed without Bafana players Sipho Chaine, Kamogelo Sebelebele, Lebone Seema, Yanela Mbuthuma and Oswin Appollis. Attacker Gamphani Lungu was away with Zambia.

“We had three days to work with the players who came back from the national team, but most of the preparations for this match had been going on for some time,” said Cardoso.

“At the same time, I had people working on Richards Bay, so it has been a difficult three weeks in terms of the volume of work.

“It is the experience of the players in managing these kinds of matches.”