Sundowns deliver right response for coach

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso felt his side responded with the right answers to the questions left after their midweek loss as they bounced back with a 4-1 victory over Richards Bay on Saturday night.

Sundowns lost their unbeaten Betway Premiership record when Lamontville Golden Arrows edged them 1-0 in Umlazi in midweek, but on Saturday Sundowns were back to winning ways, and their success put them at the top of the log standings, albeit having played one match more than second-placed Sekhukhune United.

“A big team can fall once, but can never fall twice,” said Cardoso, who had been under fans’ pressure after the Durban defeat.

But two goals in the opening half-hour gave Sundowns a positive start in Atteridgeville, and they were 3-1 up over the visitors by halftime. Tashreeq Matthrews scored his second of the night to make it 4-1 in the second half, with Malibongwe Khoza and Iqraam Rayners (penalty) also on the score sheet.

“I think after a result like the one we had in the previous match (against Arrows), it was important to bring the best emotions on the pitch, the best commitment possible, the best concentration, the best spirit,” the coach added.

“And the boys understood the message, they understood how to play the game. That the result might have made it look like a result, but it was a very difficult match to be played because of the pitch, which didn’t allow us to play good football.

“We wanted to take the game to a comfort zone, and the comfort zone was to score, taking the lead in the match. It was a quality game in terms of adaptation to the conditions, and I was happy with the boys.”

Cardoso said he had pushed his side at halftime for more goals after the break so that he could make some changes.

“At halftime, I also told them we should score the fourth and finish the match so that then we could manage the players in order to rest the ones that needed to be rested.

“Arthur Sales complained a little about his adductor. He’s been suffering a little bit, although it’s not an injury, but a syndrome that is there.

“I knew Tashreeq would be overloaded. I knew Nuno Santos should not play the whole game. So these three players we had predicted would need to be substituted.

“And it would be important, with the result already secured, to bring in Bennett (Mokwena), bring in Thapelo (Maseko), who has not regularly played, and bring Pitso (Sphelele Mkhulise) into a position a little bit higher than he usually plays,” he explained.