Cardoso shifts focus to Al-Hilal after dramatic win over Sekhukhune

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has swiftly shifted his focus to Friday’s CAF Champions League clash against Al-Hilal following a dramatic Betway Premiership victory over Sekhukhune United on Tuesday night.

The late win provided some relief for the Portuguese, who has been under increasing scrutiny from club legends and supporters over recent performances, despite Sundowns sitting comfortably at the summit of the domestic league and the Champions League.

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Pressure would have intensified had Cardoso failed to secure maximum points against Babina Noko. With the match seemingly heading for a draw, the Brazilians struck twice in stoppage time through Nuno Santos and Brayan León to seal a 2-0 victory.

Sundowns want to go all the way

Attention now turns to an away clash against Sudanese giants Al-Hilal, who play their matches in Rwanda due to ongoing instability in Sudan. The two sides played out a 2-2 draw at Loftus Versfeld last Friday, a result that left the Sundowns faithful dissatisfied after their side surrendered the lead late in the match.

“Now it’s time to close the door of the championship (PSL) because we have the Champions League and the group stage to finish,” Cardoso said.

“We want to go further in the competition and then we also have the Nedbank Cup match. This is the challenge of a Sundowns coach and players. We will travel already on Wednesday to Rwanda.”

The Sundowns coach also suggested that the congested fixture list has complicated preparations, particularly with the midweek premiership encounter against Sekhukhune.

“This match against Sekhukhune that was played would have been much more comfortable for us not to play today. We tried to play it in December before the break and it was not possible to find an agreement,” he explained.

‘We trust all the players’

Cardoso is expected to return to his trusted core when he names his starting line-up to face Al-Hilal after making 10 changes against Sekhukhune.

The 53-year-old has consistently emphasised the importance of squad rotation as Sundowns juggle multiple competitions, including the Nedbank Cup.

“We trust all the players and that word trust is getting a lot of meaning at Sundowns. We trust the players that come off the bench and the players that are not here but can still play and the rotation of the team is decisive,” Cardoso added.

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“I heard Divine Lunga speaking about how we played with three different line-ups but we were so focused on winning the match. That’s the commitment we need to have to face such challenges of playing different competitions.”