Cardoso says Mamelodi Sundowns used Durban City fatigue to secure victory

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso said his side deliberately targeted Durban City’s fatigue during their 4-1 win at Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Saturday.

The result saw Sundowns, also known as Masandawana, move back to the top of the log table. Thabang Matuludi scored twice, while Iqraam Rayners and Antonio van Wyk were also on target. Jean Lwamba Lubamba scored Durban City’s goal.

Cardoso said he was aware that Eric Tinkler’s team would be feeling the effects of a demanding schedule. Durban City are competing in the Caf Confederation Cup and had played a Carling Knockout match against Stellenbosch on Wednesday.

“We had an intention to use the weapon of fatigue from our side. We knew that Durban City had played a few matches in a row, and they didn’t have time for proper recovery,” Cardoso told the media at his post-match press conference.

“A lot of trips, a lot of recovery. We also experienced that, and we know how difficult it is, especially for players that are not used to consistently playing on the third and fourth days.

“Obviously, the intensity we tried to put in from the beginning also made us make some mistakes because we wanted to do so quickly, so we would bring fatigue as quickly as possible to the opponent so we could profit from the mistakes.”

Cardoso said Sundowns’ approach helped them take advantage of openings, although he acknowledged the quality of their opponents.

“But I think the team got excited as time went by; this team is well coached and has quality players, and as much as we restricted them, they fought back,” he added.

The Sundowns coach also criticised the match officials after referee Cedric Muvhali rejected two penalty appeals from the home side.

Cardoso said he was frustrated by what he considered clear refereeing mistakes during the match, although he attempted to limit his comments after the final whistle.

“Today [Saturday] is a day of a lot of emotions. I will make my best effort to shut up and not speak too much,” he said.

“I think everybody saw those. One day again to remember for South Africa.

“I just want people to see what happened, the penalties that we had and were not given, and what happened today.”

Despite his concerns over the decisions, Cardoso said Sundowns had to remain focused on matters within their control and avoid allowing refereeing disputes to affect their performances.

“For us, we just have to play every match and concentrate on what we control, and what we control is our performance. We tried to avoid problems with the referees,” he said.

“We try not to speak to the referees, and we try to focus on playing football, and that’s the attitude this team must have.”

Sundowns return to action on Tuesday when they host Golden Arrows in the Carling Knockout quarter-final at Loftus Versfeld Stadium. Kick-off is at 7pm.