Cardoso reveals emotional toll of Morena’s Champions League final injury

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has revealed that he cried after Thapelo Morena was ruled out of the CAF Champions League final, saying he understood how much the occasion meant to the defender.

Morena suffered a twisted knee during Sundowns’ 1-1 league draw with Kaizer Chiefs on 6 May 2026, only days before the first leg against Moroccan club AS FAR. The injury forced him to miss both matches as Sundowns secured their second continental title.

Cardoso discussed the incident in an exclusive interview with Teko Modise on Mamelodi Sundowns’ media platforms, recalling a family video Morena shared after the semi-final victory over Esperance de Tunis.

The defender had celebrated reaching the final at home with his wife and three children. In the video, which went viral on social media, the family danced together while Morena repeatedly shouted “Champions League”.

Cardoso said that memory made Morena’s injury particularly painful.

“I remember I cried last year when Morena got injured before playing the final of the Champions League because I never forget the video that he posted on the day we won the semifinal and he arrived home and his wife and the kids danced together and he said, ‘Champions League.’”

“When he got injured, I cried because I knew how much that moment meant for him. And that’s why I stay happy now [he’s] again in the national team, lifting another trophy after,” Cardoso said.

The Portuguese coach said showing his players a more personal side of his character helped build trust within the squad.

“So when they understand that their coach is a human being, they just want them to be humans and enjoy their families, their lives, and help them as much as I can to make that, I think it’s when the players really start to, okay, this guy can be my guy, as you guys say, he can be my guy. And I think that gives me an incredible pleasure for a daily,” he added.

Sundowns complete victory without Morena

Sundowns beat AS FAR 1-0 in Pretoria on 17 May before drawing 1-1 in Rabat on 24 May, winning the final 2-1 on aggregate.

Morena travelled to Morocco for the second leg but was unable to play. He watched from the sidelines as his team-mates lifted the trophy he had spent a decade working towards.

Sundowns team doctor Dr Carl Tabane said after the Kaizer Chiefs match that Morena had twisted his knee and that medical staff were working to make him available for the final.

However, a follow-up scan on 27 May showed the injury had not recovered sufficiently, ending his hopes of taking part. The setback also ruled Morena out of South Africa’s 2026 FIFA World Cup squad.