Cardoso pinpoints lack of intensity in Sundowns’ draw with Chippa

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has admitted his troops lacked the necessary intensity following their 1-1 draw with Chippa United in their opening game of the 2025/26 Betway Premiership season.

Cardoso also clarified the reasoning behind substituting new signing Fawaaz Basadien at halftime.

The defending league champions began their 2025/26 campaign by taking a first-half lead through Arthur Sales, only for Khaya Mfecane to equalise for Chippa.

Cardoso told SuperSport TV the result was “obviously not the best,” highlighting a slow start from his side.

Cardoso emphasised that against teams like Chippa, Sundowns need to “have the best attitude” and play their own game. “It seems that we didn’t put the proper intensity to escape from the duels,” he explained, noting that the first half became a physical battle rather than a showcase of their preferred playing style.

The coach revealed he was “not happy” with the first-half performance, and while they started the second half better, they couldn’t maintain it. He described Chippa’s equaliser as a goal “out of nothing,” which he felt gave the home side the momentum they needed.

Addressing the substitution of Basadien, who started at right-back, Cardoso stated he made the change to create more width for the team. “Zuko, we knew that he could not play the whole game, but we knew he could play 45,” he said, explaining that the move was to provide more attacking options from the right side.

Sundowns will look to secure their first victory of the season on Tuesday when they host AmaZulu FC, who are coming off a 1-0 win against Orbit College FC