Cardoso praises Sundowns defender Khoza after Man of the Match display

Mamelodi Sundowns manager Miguel Cardoso praised defender Malibongwe Khoza for showing maturity after he was named Man of the Match in the 3-0 victory against Siwelele FC.

The result moved The Brazilians six points clear of second-placed Orlando Pirates, strengthening their position at the top of the table.

Khoza, who Cardoso referred to as “Mali”, was singled out for his contribution to a performance the Sundowns manager described as particularly strong from a defensive perspective.

“Congratulations to Mali, we know that Sundowns future is also on the hands of the young players today he showed maturity, Obviously, he has more experience we give the best he will become and bravo for him, for the team.

“I think it was a beautiful game defensively also.”

Mamelodi Sundowns also welcomed the return of Mothobi Mvala, who made his first appearance of the campaign after coming on at half-time.

Cardoso explained that Ndamane was withdrawn because he had already been booked, with Sundowns mindful of the danger posed by opponents looking to attack in transition.

“We decided to take Ndamane out because of the yellow card and also it’s dangerous to play against teams that are waiting for the transition and if they do you can get a second yellow card and then match was zero-zero so we decided to immediately bring Mothobi.

“I’m very happy that he comes back after so long time, I think he played very well also.”

The manager’s comments came after Sundowns secured a comfortable win over the Bloemfontein-based side, while Orlando Pirates were away on their CAF assignment. The victory allowed Sundowns to extend their advantage over their nearest challengers to six points.

Cardoso has already turned his attention to the next challenge, with Sundowns due to face Chippa United on Saturday before their intercontinental assignment.

He expects the match to be difficult and said changes to the venue had affected the team’s planning. However, the alteration will allow Sundowns to remain for an additional day before travelling the following night.

“It will be a tough match, we play there on Saturday. A little bit of applications, I don’t want to speak about that but a change of the venue that will allow us to stay one more day, we’ve only flight the following day on the night to attach preparation for our international match the following weekend and it’s a pity that things are that way but I don’t want to cry, they say I cry too much.

“But I just stuck too reality, but now it’s time to think about the next match and to recover the players and think about the weekend thank you.”

For now, Cardoso’s priority is recovery and preparation for the weekend fixture against Chippa United. The coach also used the win to underline the importance of Sundowns’ younger players, with Khoza’s display providing particular encouragement as the team continues to compete on multiple fronts.