Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso praised the character and attitude of his team after the African champions fought back to secure a 1-1 draw against Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Sundowns were forced to come from behind after Chiefs capitalised on a mistake in midfield to take the lead, but the visitors responded with sustained pressure and eventually found the equaliser as they chased victory until the final whistle.
Despite dropping two points, Cardoso was pleased with the quality and intensity of the encounter, particularly the competitive nature of the match between two sides determined to collect points.
“I’m critical about things that can be better, that can develop when matches don’t go into the directions they should go but today it’s time to praise, I think we had a beautiful football match,” Cardoso said after the game.
“It was a lot of tactical commitment, here and there, a bit stuck, especially in the first half, what is clear, regarding the importance of a result in the moment of this season, two teams that want to collect points, to move forward and place themselves as best as possible on the table.”
Sundowns had prepared for the possibility of Chiefs using a different formation, with Cardoso revealing that they had not expected to face the five-man defensive system employed by Fernando da Cruz.
“I think that we as Sundowns, we were loyal to our intention, how we prepared the match, we didn’t come to face a five-man defensive line, regarding the way that Kaizer Chiefs have been playing recently in the previous matches,” he explained.
“But we knew da Cruz is preparing matches according to the opponents, and we knew that something could be different, so we were prepared to have an analysis on what’s happening on the pitch, and that 5-3-2, we understood how to deal with it, we have played this in the past.”
Cardoso felt Sundowns had largely controlled the match and limited Chiefs’ opportunities to exploit their pace on transition.
“Despite not many goal chances, there was a clear commitment from us in terms of managing the game and not allowing special transitions, we knew the players from Chiefs have a lot of speed so that, so you need to reorganise yourself,” he said.
However, Sundowns were punished when a misplaced ball in the middle of the pitch handed Chiefs the opportunity to take the lead.
“A mistake from a ball played in the middle allowed Chiefs to score, that’s how football is sometimes, the use of others’ mistakes to score goals. That’s what happened, we were under control and then we were losing but we have character, attitude and quality.”
The Sundowns coach was also forced to manage fatigue, with the champions having played three matches in seven days.
Cardoso admitted that some of his players were feeling the effects of the demanding schedule but praised the substitutes who helped Sundowns maintain their intensity in the closing stages.
“I think our reaction was intentional, a lot of capacity to go forward, players who dropped energy, not only Chiefs played recently, we did three matches in seven days,” he said.
“Tashreeq and van Wyk was tired, Pitso played a lot for the first time in a while. We brought energy and commitment and did what we had to do, chase the victory until the last minute.”
While Sundowns ultimately had to settle for a point, Cardoso’s assessment was one of appreciation for the competitive spectacle at FNB Stadium and the way his side responded after falling behind.
For the defending African champions, the draw keeps them moving forward in what is already shaping up to be a demanding early-season campaign.
[Image credit: Keith Khumalo]
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