Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has urged focus and composure from his side as they prepare for a decisive second leg in their CAF Champions League semi-final against Espérance de Tunis.
Sundowns carry a slender advantage into the return fixture after a hard-fought 1-0 win in the first leg, where Brayan León’s decisive strike separated the two sides in a tightly contested encounter.
For Cardoso, the stakes go beyond just a place in the final. The Portuguese coach is chasing a third consecutive appearance in the Champions League final, having fallen short in the previous two attempts — first with Esperance against Al Ahly, and later with Sundowns.
Looking ahead to the return leg in Pretoria, Cardoso warned his players not to expect any comfort, insisting the Tunisian giants will arrive with intensity and intent to overturn the deficit.
“If you don’t play to win, you can suffer, and that is the only way that this team knows how to play,” he said. “The team understood the different moments of the game.
He stressed that knockout football is defined by results rather than spectacle, adding: “This is the semifinal of the Champions League, it is not to give a concert, it is to take results and produce good games, and that is what both teams wanted.
With the tie delicately poised, Cardoso believes mentality will be decisive in determining who progresses to the final.
“That is exactly how it is going to be in Pretoria. The team that deals better will for sure be the team that in the end takes the next step,” he added.
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