CAFCL: Cardoso explains why Sundowns played Maseko against Esperance

Photo Credit - Mamelodi Sundowns Media.

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has revealed why Thapelo Maseko was handed few minutes during their Caf Champions League fixture against Esperance on Tuesday.

The South African giants needed a goal courtesy of Peter Shalulile to register a 1-0 victory against the Tunisian giants while they carry a slim advantage heading into the return leg in Tunis.

However, one of key things from the fixture was the game time handed to Maseko, whose last appearance for Sundowns goes back to February during their Betway Premiership clash against TS Galaxy. Against Esperance, he was brought in to replace Shalulile in the 82nd minute.

Asked why he made the substitution, Cardoso said after the game as quoted by idiskitimes: “Maseko has been training very well. He has not been playing regularly, it’s true, but he has been on the group. And when a player is regularly on the group, it means that we trust.

“And he has physical characteristics, and we thought in the moment the game was, we could profit from the characteristics that he has. He’s a player that’s very quick. He understands the spacing on the back of the defence. He has been training with us for those characteristics and highlighting those characteristics on him, so that’s want we wanted to, but we didn’t serve him the right way because he must be served on the space.

He’s a player to be served on the space and not on the feet with the central backs that are much more powerful on the contact than him. So, we should play the ball out of direction of the centre-backs, so it didn’t really work out, but the intention I think was something correct by putting him on the pitch. So, we decided with the work that he does every day, that’s why he played.”