Cardoso calls Sundowns’ CAF Champions League exit a ‘failure’

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has described the club’s early CAF Champions League exit as a “failure” after Wiliete eliminated the defending champions in the second round.

Sundowns needed a win at Loftus Versfeld Stadium after being held to a goalless draw by the Angolan side in the first leg a week earlier. They made a quick start in the return match when winger Tashreeq Matthews opened the scoring after 11 minutes.

However, Mamelodi Sundowns were unable to add a second goal before half-time, leaving Wiliete within reach of a result that would send them through to the group stages.

The visitors, who defended in an organised low block and looked to counter-attack, equalised four minutes before the interval. Cassius Mailula’s misplaced pass failed to find Marcelo Allende, allowing Wiliete’s experienced striker to collect the loose ball and finish calmly one-on-one with goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.

Sundowns continued to apply pressure after the break but could not find the goal they needed. The 1-1 draw on the night left the aggregate score at 1-1, with Wiliete advancing on the away goals rule.

The result means Wiliete will appear in the CAF Champions League group stages for the first time in their history, while Sundowns have failed to reach that stage for the first time since 2015.

Cardoso accepted responsibility for the outcome during his post-match news conference, saying everyone at the club had to acknowledge the disappointment.

“Of course it’s a failure, it’s a failure from everybody, we should embrace it, from the players to the coaches obviously. But I want to state how it is a failure because I don’t want to give you an opportunity just to say that,” the Portuguese coach told reporters at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.

Despite the result, Cardoso said Sundowns had controlled the match and created enough opportunities to win.

“I think we controlled the match completely, we just did not score the goals we had to score. If you count the opportunities we had inside the box, both in the first-half, second-half, we had to make more, express the result,” he said.

He added that failing to convert their chances had left Sundowns vulnerable to Wiliete’s decisive moment.

“Obviously if you don’t finish the situations you have, you stay exposed to anything that could happen in the match,” Cardoso said.