Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has accepted responsibility for the club’s shock CAF Champions League elimination, describing the defeat as a “big punch in our faces” while insisting the team must respond with character.
The Brazilians were knocked out after a 1-1 draw against Angola’s Wiliete de Benguela at Loftus Versfeld, with the visitors advancing on the away-goals rule.
Cardoso admitted the disappointment was significant but stressed that Sundowns still have plenty to fight for this season.
“It’s a big knockout, this one. It’s a big punch in our faces. But what will make us stronger is how we’re going to react, because there’s so much more, so many more things to win,” he said.
The Portuguese coach acknowledged that the elimination was a collective failure, taking responsibility alongside his players and the club’s technical staff.
“It’s on me. It’s on the players. It’s on everybody. When we win, everybody wins. When we lose, everybody loses. There are many reflections, many analyses that we have to do together.”
Despite the result, Cardoso believes Sundowns did enough to win the match, pointing to their dominance and failure to convert clear chances.
“We controlled the match completely. We just failed on scoring the goals that we had to score. If you count the opportunities we had inside the box, first half, second half, we should have scored.”
He also acknowledged the changes within the squad compared to last season but refused to use them as an excuse.
“If you see this team and you compare it to the one that finished in the league last year, one has nothing to do with the other. But that is not an excuse at all. The team that played today should have won the match.”
Sundowns have reached two CAF Champions League finals in the past four years, including consecutive finals under Cardoso. The coach believes the club’s response to this setback will be more important than the disappointment itself.
“This is a very strong group of people. It’s a proof of character that we have to give, but that proof of character I’m pretty sure that we are willing to do it already, not tomorrow.”
Cardoso insists the team must now focus on what lies ahead, with the opportunity to compete for further honours still firmly in sight.
“What is going to speak for certain now is the greatness that will come after this defeat. That will obviously speak about us, not this moment today.”
Written by: Sandile Ndumo
