Cardoso’s Sundowns set new standard with 75% league win rate

Mamelodi Sundowns began their Betway Premiership campaign with a 3-2 victory over TS Galaxy on Tuesday, extending head coach Miguel Cardoso’s remarkable league record and giving The Brazilians a winning start to the season.

The match was played at Mbombela Stadium after the start of the new campaign had been delayed. Sundowns had to work hard for the points, securing victory with a late winner in a five-goal thriller.

The result marked an improvement on last season, when Sundowns opened their league campaign with a draw rather than a victory.

For Cardoso, the win continued an exceptional run since he took charge. The Portuguese coach has now managed 52 league matches, recording 39 victories, nine draws and only four defeats.

That equates to a 75% winning rate. Sundowns have also failed to score in only four league matches since Cardoso’s arrival, underlining the consistency of their results and attacking output.

Few coaches manage to win three out of every four league matches across a period of more than 50 games. Cardoso’s record is particularly notable at Mamelodi Sundowns, where neither Rulani Mokwena nor Pitso Mosimane matched that pace throughout their respective spells in charge.

Cardoso’s focus, however, remains on securing the league title after Sundowns missed out last season. The team’s next challenge comes on Saturday, when they travel to FNB Stadium.

“It is our intention to fight as best as possible and as much as we can with the energy that we have to put and maximum commitment possible for this league,” says Cardoso.

“Not because we lost it before, but it is our ambition to state ourselves and dominate South African football.

“Last year, we didn’t win the league…we have a lot of energy to put in this league, and it is important that we don’t drop the energy when we are winning matches so that we don’t have to fight.

“Obviously, we cannot lose points at least regularly, otherwise it will be a problem.

“…It is a good platform for us to grow, but it is even better to grow with positive results, but we need to make a way very quickly so that we can stabilise behaviours and become even stronger.

“Sometimes we don’t value things in the way they have to be valued.

“The important picture is that in the first match of the competition, there is a lot of stress with the past matches played here not positive for us,” says Cardoso.

The coach believes the opening victory provides a foundation for further progress, but has warned his players that positive results must be accompanied by continued intensity and discipline.

Sundowns’ ambition is not simply to recover the league title they lost last season. Cardoso wants the club to assert its authority over South African football, while ensuring the team does not become complacent when results are going their way.

Supporters considering betting on Sundowns’ next fixture are advised to review betting sites before placing a wager, with factors including the quality of odds, welcome offers, payout speed and user experience to be considered.

The club’s 3-2 win over TS Galaxy gives Cardoso and his players the ideal start to their title challenge, while his outstanding record places him among the most successful coaches in Mamelodi Sundowns’ recent history.