Cardoso Hails Unsung Heroes Following Nedbank Cup Triumph

Mamelodi Sundowns’ head coach Miguel Cardoso praised the contributions of his reserve players during their Nedbank Cup quarterfinal win over Sekhukhune United on Friday.

The Brazilians earned a hard-fought victory at Lucas Moripe Stadium, with Jayden Adams netting the crucial goal.

Cardoso’s starting eleven included players such as Zuko Mdunyelwa, Terrence Mashego, Keano Cupido, Neo Maema, and Matias Esquivel, all of whom have had limited playing time this season.

The coach was forced to make changes to his squad due to the delayed return of his international players after Bafana Bafana’s FIFA World Cup qualifier against Benin.

With little recovery time available, Cardoso decided to rest his key players, especially with a vital CAF Champions League quarterfinal first leg match against Esperance approaching on Tuesday.

“We have faith in all our players, and I wouldn’t be here speaking if we just relied on the same players every match,” Cardoso stated.

“If I did that, it wouldn’t reflect well, and our players trust the decisions made by the coach. In the first half of extra time, I reminded them to forget about scoring in the dying moments of regulation time, and encouraged them that we could find the back of the net again in the closing moments of extra time, which we did.

“We have confidence in the players, even though we scored at the last moment, as those who usually sit on the bench won’t perform like regular starters. We must also commend our fitness coach, as these players managed to compete for 120 minutes despite their lack of consistent play.

“Some players like Keano [Cupido] and Terrence [Mashego] requested substitutions because they were struggling. However, we need to consider that Keano is just returning from an injury, and we have faith in him.”

“Terrence has also just returned from joining the national team a couple of weeks ago, playing two matches there. So we must have patience and belief in them, as playing for Sundowns indicates their quality and skill.

“We witnessed positive performances. Zuko [Mdunyelwa] is coming back from injury and delivered an excellent performance. Additionally, we knew we had a bench ready to energize the team, but my goal was to allow all fringe players to get the full 90 minutes on the field.”

In a positive turn, Cardoso expressed his relief that all his international players returned unscathed from national duty, attributing this success to the solid partnership between Mamelodi Sundowns and the coaching and fitness staff of Bafana Bafana.

“It’s wonderful that all our players returned in great shape without injuries from their national duty,” he remarked.

“This reflects well on our relationship with the national team. The connection we maintain with them extends to both fitness coaches and head coaches, and it’s highly productive.

“This is how things should operate, and I commend the national team’s coach for the positive outcomes achieved during the international break.”