It's become a norm for Mamelodi Sundowns supporters to expect the introduction of Themba Zwane in the second half, but the captain was an unused substitute in a match where his experience could have come in handy.
Sundowns hearts sunk on Saturday afternoon when Egyptian side Pyramids scored in the final seconds of their CAF Champions League final first leg clash at Loftus Stadium, getting a crucial away goal in a 1-1 draw.
READ: Sundowns Suffer Late Collapse Against Pyramids
Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso backed his decision not to give the 35-year-old a run on the day, explaining that it was to keep balance in the team. His attacking subsitutes on the day were Jayden Adams, Peter Shaulile and Neo Maema, while Thapelo Morena came on to assist in defence and attack.
"I have to manage Themba like all the other players. Everybody wanted to be part of this match, for sure. The decisions we did was in order to keep the balance of the team, we thought were the best ones," Cardoso told media after the game.
READ: 10 Sundowns Players Facing Possible Exits
"It's like very beautiful football, or very ugly at the same time, because 10 seconds in the last minute of the game changed the way you all think of the decisions that we did. If we had not suffered that goal, everybody would say the coach was fantastic or he made the best choices. We are under judgmement according to the results we get. It was one dangerous action they had in the second half."
Zwane, who signed a one-year contract extension not so long ago, is one of two members in the squad who were part of the winning team in 2016, the other being veteran goalkeeper Denis Onyango.
The Bafana Bafana international expressed his desire to win a second Champions League title and will be hoping to get an opportunity when the second leg is played in Egypt next Sunday.
