Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso - Photo Sundowns Media.
Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso believes quality in certain moments helped his side to defeat Richards Bay 2-0 in a Premier Soccer League fixture at the King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday.
An early impact from Sundowns was seen in the 19th minute, Arthur Sales putting the Brazilians ahead against the run of play. The move started with Lucas Ribeiro, who made a defense-splitting pass to Sales. With speed and awareness, Sales dinked the ball over the goalkeeper to make it 1-0.
The hosts had an instant response as they shot the ball into the danger zone, but Ugandan goalkeeper Denis Onyango made a double save to deny them an equaliser. Lucas Ribeiro then found the back of the net to give his side a 2-0 advantage.
“Tough game, happy with the result, the satisfaction of watching our fans happy, the work the players did, but very difficult conditions to play,” Cardoso told SuperSport TV as quoted by idiskitimes.
“The pitch was very dry. There were many moments we wanted to play but difficult to play [the ball] but we had the attitude, the patience, the quality in certain moments to define the game, it’s important to do this, use moments.
“Obviously we can do better but praise the players for the efforts, the commitment, for the attitude and for the courage to keep on playing in very difficult conditions.”
The win enabled Sundowns to extend their lead at the summit to 30 points from 11 matches. They have managed 10 wins, drawn none and lost one. They stayed six points ahead of second-placed and rivals Orlando Pirates.
Sundowns will now shift their attention to the CAF Champions League where they will travel to Morocco to face Raja Athletic Club next weekend.
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