CAFCL: Cardoso reveals how Sundowns outwitted Espérance

Cardoso (left): Photo Credit: Mamelodi Sundowns media.

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has given insights on tactics that helped the South African giants sail through to the 2025 CAF Champions League semifinals at the expense of Espérance de Tunis.

Cardoso said this in a post-match interview in Tunisia after holding Espérance de Tunis to a goalless draw on Tuesday evening and going through 1-0 on aggregate after winning the quarterfinal, first leg 1-0 at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria last week.

The Portuguese mentor said he was not defensive, as some sections in Tunisia believe, but pragmatic to the realities of competing in the CAF Champions League.

"People in Tunisia developed an idea regarding me as a coach that is exactly not correct. Even in the last weeks, I heard again that we are defensive and that I am defensive,” he said according to a video clip shared on x.com @Lorenz_KO

He said his approach over the two legs reflected his understanding that football is dynamic and to compete against the top teams in Africa you must adapt.

“What we tried to do was to play a Champions League quarterfinal against a team that is very strong. If you want to succeed playing against Al Ahly, Al-Hilal and Pyramids FC, you must be very complete as a team. You cannot be naïve. Adapting to the realities is the qualities that I have been developing. Maybe in the beginning, I thought I could win playing the same way. But you cannot win playing in Esperance the same way in Loftus,” he explained.

“Football taught me easily that you need to adapt to the context. You need to understand what game you are playing and even during the game what games you are playing because there are games happening all the time.”

Cardoso admitted that he struggled to manage his team in difficult moments against Espérance de Tunis at Stade Olympique de Radès.

“I think we coped with different moments. Sometimes risky, sometimes audacious and sometimes strategic. There was a moment that I was struggling with my assistant coaches how we could help the players because our job is to help them,” he said.

Sundowns next face Al Ahly in the last-four after the CAF Champions League holders edged out Al-Hilal 1-0 on Tuesday evening and 2-0 over two legs.