Photo Courtesy Sundowns Media.
Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has blamed lack of concentration for allowing Magesi FC to score their opening goal in the 2-1 comeback Betway Premiership win on Wednesday.
Magesi took the lead courtesy of Wonderboy Makhubu before second half strikes via Lucas Ribeiro and Tashreeq Matthews gave the Brazilians the victory at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium.
Speaking after the game, Cardoso admitted it was one of the toughest game he has been in charge since taking over at Sundowns but blamed lack of concentration for allowing Magesi to take a first half lead.
“I confess to you, as a coach, it was a very tough, tough game, not only because we had to think a lot in terms of how to add the players, because it’s basically our job as coaches to head how we can ourselves, try to solve the problem that was in the pitch and they gave a good answer,” Cardoso said as quoted by iDiski Times.
“But it happened we lost concentration in the action that gave the goal to Magesi. And then I think, on the heads of the players, the players came back something that was on the past that we should not attach ourselves to the past, we should look forward.”
Cardoso further admitted that Sundowns players struggled in the first half and were not able to display their best game.
“So first half was difficult the players struggled to put themselves inside the game in the best way,” he said. “But also we knew that if you could keep the intensity, we had players to put inside that could give energy that could bring other things that could put challenges to the other team. And eventually, we also didn’t need to think about two goals.”
He continued: “I always tell them think about one because if we score one, the energy will be very big on our side. And hopefully we did it. It seems that also we scored the second one that was not validated, but it’s not important. We have the energy, the strength, the character to go until the end.”
The victory saw Masandawana move six points clear of rivals Orlando Pirates, who have a game in hand.
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