Sundowns coach Cardoso opens up on emotions of facing Esperance
Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has opened up on the emotions of facing his former side Esperance in the CAF Champions League.
Sundowns were drawn against the Tunisian giants in the Champions League quarterfinal which will mark Cardoso’s first return to Esperance since parting ways with the club at the end of last season.
The Portuguese mentor was in charge of Esperance when they defeated the Brazilians in the semi-final of the prestigious continental club tournament.
Masandawana played a goalless draw against Esperance in the first leg before losing 1-0 on home soil in the second leg under the then-head coach Rulani Mokwena.
Esperance went on to lose in the final against the Egyptian giants Al Ahly, which subsequently led to the sacking of Cardoso.
Following his exit from the Red and Yellow, Cardoso joined Sundowns towards the end of 2024, replacing Manqoba Mngqithi, who was fired less than six months after taking over the coaching role.
The 52-year-old – Cardoso has been tasked with a big role in winning the CAF Champions League title, which has been eluding the Tshwane giants for the past few seasons.
WHAT DID MIGUEL CARDOSO SAY ABOUT FACING ESPERANCE
Speaking to the Sundowns media after learning their fate in the CAF Interclubs competition, Cardoso admitted that the memories he shared with Esperance with make the fixture with Downs emotional.
“Obviously, there are emotions I have at the moment; we had good moments and performed very well with Esperance,” Cardoso said.
“It’s normal that there are emotions, but at the moment, my emotions are mostly on Sundowns and the way I want to leave the mark here.
“My focus will be to arrive in this match and strategically play them well. I believe that the game is going to be very tight. I have no doubt that last year it was very tight, and we had a very difficult match.
“So I believe this is going to be very good to see because both teams play a very beautiful football, and they are positive with how they approach matches.”
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