Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has praised his heavily-changed starting line-up for securing a crucial win over Stellenbosch.
Cardoso made six changes from the XI that beat Raja CA on Sunday in the CAF Champions League group stages, with Ronwen Williams a notable absence after his trip to the CAF Awards in Morocco.
They will play AmaZulu on Tuesday and Richards Bay on Saturday before another away trip in the Champions League, which has seen Cardoso look to keep the squad fresh.
“It’s important everyone understands how difficult it is to play here, against a very aggressive team, always looking for the long ball, avoiding the press,” he said after Iqraam Rayners goal secured three points over his former club.
“I think we managed well in the first 30 minutes of the game, quite confident to handle their press, but then it’s difficult to keep that intensity. We understood how to start the game, using the spaces in behind their defence.
“We created many chances, I think we should have scored a second goal, it never came, we created so much – but in the end, we had to hold onto the result, an important one and we started preparing for the next one. Important victory, congrats to the players and fans.
“How many players did we not have today? I’m really so happy the guys [did well] even the ones who don’t play so much, now we think about the next game.”
Cardoso was appointed new head coach of Sundowns last week and has now secured back to back 1-0 victories to start his tenure.
“It’s clear there’s a big commitment in the team, the team is playing short distances, playing together in attack, playing together in defence as a unit, closing the spaces, controlling the different moments,” he said.
“I want to add more and more goals, so we can embfrace this but it’s important also to know how to defend, not just how to attack. Today I believe we could have finished this game much sooner.”
