Soccer
CAFCL: Cardoso Confident Sundowns Will Bounce Back in Champions League Final
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso believes his side can bounce back from their recent league disappointment by lifting the Caf Champions League trophy.
Sundowns suffered a damaging 3-2 defeat to TS Galaxy on Tuesday, a result that effectively handed the Betway Premiership advantage to rivals Orlando Pirates.
Pirates are now on the brink of securing their first league title since the 2011/12 season. A win over Durban City this weekend in their penultimate fixture would seal the crown before they wrap up their campaign away to Orbit College next weekend.
Sundowns, meanwhile, must quickly shift focus to the Caf Champions League final, where they will face Moroccan giants AS FAR over two legs.
Despite the setback in the league, Cardoso remains confident his players will respond positively.
“It’s now time to recover our energy as quickly as possible for the weekend. The boys will definitely show character once again,” Cardoso told IOL.
“We’ll do everything we can to help them recover and ensure they are ready to deliver a strong performance in the Champions League final.”
Reflecting on the domestic title race, Cardoso admitted disappointment but insisted Sundowns had still enjoyed a strong campaign.
“With the number of points we have accumulated, we would have been champions in any of the last five seasons,” he said.
“Now we can only wait and see what happens in Pirates’ remaining matches.
“It’s not that we had a poor season. If another team wins the title, it simply means they performed better this time around.”
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