Pride amidst pain: Cardoso reacts to Sundowns’ Champions League final defeat

For Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso, the sting of a second consecutive CAF Champions League final defeat is undoubtedly sharp.

Having led Esperance to the precipice of continental glory last season only to fall to Al Ahly, the Portuguese tactician once again experienced heartbreak as his Sundowns side succumbed to Pyramids FC at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo on Sunday night.

The final scoreline of 2-1 on the night and a 3-2 aggregate victory for Pyramids FC brought an end to Sundowns’ aspirations of a second Champions League title.

Cardoso’s reaction in the aftermath of the defeat was a mixture of emotions. “The way we played since I arrived at Sundowns can only make me feel proud,” declared Cardoso in his post-match press conference.

“This wasn’t a coach consumed by despair, but one processing the complex emotions of a high-stakes defeat. “So the fact that we are not happy, that I’m not happy, doesn’t mean that I’m not proud of everything we did until the moment we arrived at the final.”

Yet, his pride was tempered by a clear-eyed assessment of what ultimately separated his team from victory. “But at the same time, I think that something missed for us to be at the level we needed in order to win,” he admitted, cutting to the core of the issue. “It is not a question of who was the best or who was worst, because when there is a winner, it means they were better.”

“What I feel is that in some moments we did not find a way to compete at the level that we should have competed in order to win the trophy,” Cardoso explained.

Despite this self-reflection, he immediately contextualised the achievement, offering a poignant reminder of the rarity of reaching such a stage: “Anyway, not many people, players, coaches, members of staff, board members, and clubs play finals of the Champions League and have the right to win a medal.”

Cardoso recounted Sundowns’ tough path to the final, emphasising the formidable opponents they vanquished and the significant progress the club has made under his stewardship.

“I would like to remind everyone that on the way to the final, we played Al Ahly, who are still the first team in the CAF rankings, and we beat them in the semi-final, and we played Esperance, and we beat them, and they are second in the CAF rankings,” he highlighted, painting a picture of a team that truly earned its place.

He also cast light on the club’s trajectory since his arrival. “And when we arrived at Sundowns, the club was struggling in order to pass the group stages of the Champions League, we had immediately a very tough game against Raja Casablanca, in a very tough group, which also had AS FAR. We were able to make the group stage.”

Cardoso added: “The feeling when you play a final and you don’t win, the defeat is obviously very bitter, very disappointing.”

Yet, his closing remarks were infused with an unshakeable belief in his squad’s resilience: “But as I said before the match…I have a wonderful group of men in my locker room who are at this moment suffering, but they will get up as true champions that they are…

“What is important is that we go back and settle any objective, and we can repeat the opportunity of playing a final of the Champions League and be better than we were.”