Sundowns boss Cardoso insists disallowed goal made it four against Arrows

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso says his team effectively scored four goals in their MTN8 semi-final victory over Golden Arrows, despite Khulumani Ndamane’s controversial second-half effort being ruled out.

Sundowns secured their place in the MTN8 final against Orlando Pirates with a 3-2 victory in Sunday’s second leg. The result confirmed their progress to the showpiece, where they will meet the defending champions.

The Brazilians appeared to have added another goal after the interval when Ndamane converted from close range. However, the referee disallowed the effort for handball. Replays appeared to show that the ball had not struck the player’s arm, leaving Sundowns frustrated by the decision.

Cardoso nevertheless remained adamant that the disallowed goal should be counted when assessing his side’s performance. Speaking to SuperSport after the match, he praised his players for the way they managed the contest and said the result reflected their attacking display.

“It’s not easy here to win 4-2, today we made a fantastic, beautiful result,” Cardoso told SuperSport after the game.

“Four goals scored so fantastic, fantastic anyway we know what we had to do – the first goal will be very emotional positive, we knew that we had to circulate a lot the ball until we find the way there and from there the drop in energy on Arrows will happen.

“Also, we knew the second goal would kill the game but make it very difficult than the away goals will not be on our other side and we worked on that of course.

“I think the team deserved, congratulations today, positive mindset, right attitude established and very good behaviour on the pitch. But then we have to come here again in one week and in the middle – let’s prepare Milford,” he added.

Cardoso said Sundowns had expected Golden Arrows’ energy levels to fall once they had found their way through to goal. He also explained that circulating possession patiently had been central to their approach, with the opening goal providing an emotional lift and a platform for the rest of the match.

The Sundowns manager believed a second goal would have effectively settled the tie, although he acknowledged that the away-goals factor was not on their side and that the team had prepared accordingly.

He also praised the players’ mindset, attitude and conduct during the match. Sundowns must now turn their attention towards their next fixture, with Cardoso’s reference to preparing for Milford signalling that the team will return to action in a week.

Their immediate reward for reaching the MTN8 final is a meeting with Orlando Pirates. The final will bring together two of South Africa’s leading clubs, after Sundowns overcame Golden Arrows in a closely contested semi-final in which the disputed Ndamane decision became one of the defining talking points.