Cardoso explains key factor in Pirates MTN8 semis defeat

Miguel Cardoso, the head coach of Mamelodi Sundowns, has identified the key factor he believes contributed to their defeat against Orlando Pirates.

In a thrilling MTN8 semi-final, Orlando Pirates secured their spot in the final by defeating Mamelodi Sundowns 4-1 on penalties.
The second leg at the Lucas Moripe Stadium ended in a 1-1 draw, bringing the aggregate score to 2-2, as the first leg in Soweto also concluded 1-all

Iqraam Rayners opened the scoring for Sundowns in the first half, but the in-form Kamogelo Sebelebele equalised for Pirates in the second half.

In his post-match press conference, Cardoso attributed his team’s struggles to fatigue, which he believes is a direct result of their participation in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. The coach stated that while other teams were resting and preparing for the new season, Sundowns was competing in the tournament in the United States from June to July.

This, he explained, led to a delayed and shorter pre-season, leaving the team with insufficient time to get ready for the current campaign.

“I think Sundowns is still not fresh,” he stated. “We are struggling. We have not had a long time of preparation as Pirates have, and our players are not so reactive or quick. That will come.”

Meanwhile, Cardoso also didn’t hold back in his assessment of the semi-final against Pirates over the two legs.

“I think we had two very similar matches, the first one and the one today,” added Cardoso, attributing the lack of quality to both teams resorting to long, speculative passes.

It was an Orlando Pirates team playing a very similar style with not many changes, so we were playing the match we planned.”

He highlighted the competitive nature of both games, noting, “Both matches had different moments. Moments when one team had better moments, when the other team was better. A lot of physicality on the pitch, a lot of duels.”

However, Cardoso was critical of the quality of football on display. “It’s not always very well-played football, it’s at least as I see it from both parts—a lot of long balls,” he explained.

Despite the loss, he felt that the draws in both legs were fair results for both teams.

“We had to end somewhere like in the penalties, and then in the penalties, [there was a] moment of inspiration where the goalkeeper from Orlando Pirates was pretty inspired and capable of making the saves that were needed to give the victory to Pirates,” he said.

Ultimately, Cardoso’s biggest regret was his team’s missed chances. “I just regret the opportunities we had; we could’ve scored,” he concluded.