Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has issued a stern warning about the cost of individual errors, while also acknowledging the fine line between villainy and redemption in reference to Khulumani Ndamane.
The 22-year-old defender was the protagonist in contrasting moments: first conceding a crucial late penalty against Stellenbosch FC that denied Sundowns victory at home, and then winning a spot-kick against Polokwane City in Seshego that could have extended the champions’ lead – only for Lebo Mothiba to see his audacious Panenka saved by goalkeeper Lindokuhle Mathebula.
Despite the missed opportunity, Sundowns held on for a hard-fought 1-0 win on Wednesday night — courtesy of Marcelo Allende’s 62nd-minute strike, to leapfrog Orlando Pirates and reclaim top spot in the Betway Premiership with 61 points, two clear of the Buccaneers with four matches remaining.
The victory offered some redemption for the manner in which Sundowns had been held to a 1-1 draw by Stellenbosch a week earlier, when Ndamane brought down Chumani Butsaka in the 85th minute to hand the Cape side a lifeline from the spot.
Cardoso had been characteristically blunt in his assessment of that moment, calling it “completely reckless” and lamenting that a game under control had been unnecessarily surrendered.
Now, with fresh Ndamane content, this time on the right side of the referee’s finger – the Portuguese coach used his post-match reflections to address the broader issue of margins in a title race that refuses to afford any slack.
“Of course, you are speaking about the Stellenbosch match at home, a match we had under control and a mistake gave the opponent an opportunity to score a goal,” Cardoso said.
“Look, as I said before, I have to repeat, we need to take advantage of every chance in our matches so we don’t get exposed by a single mistake.”
His message extended beyond any one player or incident-— framing individual lapses as a systemic vulnerability that a team with title ambitions simply cannot afford.
“Football and these games are a result of mistakes, I’m sure if you take a look at our goal, there will for sure have been a mistake from Polokwane,” Cardoso continued.
“We need to be very strong and very focused on details of course, so we don’t expose ourselves. The margins for mistakes don’t exist even.”
It is a philosophy that reflects the razor-thin margins of this title race. Sundowns had dropped four points in consecutive draws before the Polokwane win, allowing Pirates to breathe down their necks before the win over Rise and Shine saw them reclaim top spot again.
