Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has delivered a sobering assessment of his side’s 3-2 aggregate defeat to Pyramids FC in the CAF Champions League final, admitting that the North Africans’ hunger and competitiveness ultimately made the difference.
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The Brazilians fell 2-1 in Cairo in the second leg, bringing to an end their dream of lifting a second continental crown. A 1-1 draw in the first leg in Pretoria left the tie wide open, but it was Pyramids who capitalised on their home advantage and edged the contest on intensity and execution.
“Well, you know, I always speak about how important it is to compete at the highest level,” Cardoso told SuperSport after the match. “It’s exactly the answer I gave to questions asked by the journalists in South Africa. They asked, ‘why is it so difficult to play against teams from the north of Africa?’ Because those teams compete. They play well, of course, they also play football, but they compete at a high level.”
Sundowns had their chances across the two legs but were often stifled by a Pyramids side who brought physicality, discipline and relentless energy in every phase of the game.
“Every duel is a life changer. Every ball they fight for, they fight with all the energy they have. Ending some moments, I felt that there was something missing on our part,” Cardoso admitted. “But I don’t think that we played worse than Pyramids. I think that was shown in both matches. But Pyramids were very competent, very capable of keeping us from playing the way we wanted. Most of all, they gave their lives in every ball they were challenging for.”
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The coach, who guided Sundowns past the likes of TP Mazembe and Al Ahly on the road to the final, was clear in his view that effort and competitiveness are not just traits of style, but deciding factors in crucial encounters.
“At this level, sometimes that makes the difference. And I think that was what made a lot of difference in this final. That’s what is in my mind at the moment,” Cardoso continued. “It’s not a matter of accepting that we lost, but it’s a matter of accepting that we didn’t play the game I think we should have in key parts of the game.”
Sundowns, who dominated the domestic league once again and were looking to cap their season with continental glory, now face the reality of another near miss on Africa’s biggest stage.
“We didn’t play at the level that we should have played. And we needed to get up and play in a different way, to be able to fight,” the Portuguese coach said. “And when we did, when we got up and we looked them in the eyes and we fought, we caused problems. But you have to do that for 90 minutes, not in short spells.”
