Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has urged his players not to be dampened by their CAF Champions League final defeat as he feels they will come back stronger and better next season.
Sundowns lost 2-3 on aggregate to Pyramids at 30 June Stadium on Sunday. The Egyptian club made history by claiming their first continental title after goals by Fiston Mayele and Ahmed Saad either side of halftime on Sunday delivered a trophy to them.
Iqraam Rayners pulled one back late in the second half, but despite Sundowns throwing everything they had to try to find an equaliser which would have seen them lift the title, it was not to be.
“The fact that we are not happy does not mean I am not proud of everything we did until the moment we arrived in this final,” Cardoso told the media.
“But at the same time, I think something missed in order to be at the level we needed in order to win. What I feel is that in some moments we did not find the way to compete in the level we should have competed in order to win the trophy.”
The fact that we are not happy does not mean that I am not proud of everything we did until the moment we arrived in this final,
— Miguel Cardoso
Sundowns went into the second leg on the back foot after conceding an away goal at home and needed to score, but Pyramids showed their intentions by scoring two goals before they responded.
Cardoso, however, lauded his side’s character even though they could not get that equaliser.
“Throughout the tournament, our players were able to show commitment and great attitude. Guiding them to the final makes me proud, the feeling when you play the final and don’t win is obviously very bitter. I have a wonderful group of men in the locker room who are suffering,” he said.
“We still have a lot to do, what is important is to go back and settle in the objective and that we can repeat the opportunity of playing again a final and be better than we were.”
Cardoso also defended his decision of not playing Themba Zwane in both legs with many thinking he should have made a difference looking at his experience.
“It’s not time to speak about individual performance of players. This group has a lot of quality players and Themba is one of them.
“It’s not a matter of accepting that we lost but it’s a matter of accepting that we didn’t play a game at a level we should have played in the first three parts of the game.”
Masandawana will now shift their focus to the Fifa Club World Cup which is set to start on June 14 in the US.
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