Cardoso demands stronger Sundowns display in Champions League return

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso says his side must produce a more aggressive and controlled performance when they face Wiliete SC in the CAF Champions League second-round return leg at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Friday.

Sundowns were held to a goalless draw by the Angolan club in the first leg on Sunday, leaving the tie finely balanced and denying them the advantage they had hoped to take into the second match.

The Brazilians must win at home to reach the group stages. A draw in which both teams score would eliminate Sundowns from the competition they are aiming to defend.

Cardoso acknowledged that his team were disappointed by the result in Angola and said they would work to correct their shortcomings before Friday’s decisive fixture.

“I think we could’ve done better; we could’ve had more control and could’ve had more aggression in the box,” Cardoso told the club media department.

“We will prepare this match in the best possible way. We need to be stronger than we were. Be more aggressive and more offensive. We need to be on the level of the team that wants to state itself in the Champions League.

“Despite our intentions, we’re not happy with this result. Of course, we could’ve scored.”

The coach also pointed to fatigue as a factor in the missed opportunities, saying some players struggled to maintain their level during the match.

“It was a difficult context to manage. We have to be intentional, to prepare well and give some a rest because it was also clear that there was a little bit of fatigue in some of the players,” he said.

Cardoso felt Sundowns had begun the match positively but were unable to sustain that momentum after the interval.

“There were moments in the first half where it seemed the game could become, I wouldn’t say easy, but we would create our moments. But in the second half, it was not easy to settle down, so we needed to change a few things, we needed to be more aggressive, more offensive and put numbers on the offensive attitude rather than what I saw.”

The match also brought an injury concern for midfielder Tebogo Mokoena, who was taken off on a stretcher. Cardoso said the extent of the problem was not yet known but remained hopeful the player could recover in time.

“Tebogo is a little bit out of touch with that ligament that he got injured while in the national team; at the moment we don’t know the extent of the injury, but he could not continue in the match.

“Let’s hope it’s not a big thing and [he can] recover for the next match,” the coach said.