Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has identified the key factor behind his side sealing a spot in the CAF Champions League final.
Masandawana advanced to the final after eliminating Al Ahly on the away goals rule following a 1-1 draw in the semi-final second-leg at Cairo International Stadium on Friday, with the first-leg having finished goalless last week.
In the final, the Brazilians are set to face Egypt’s Pyramids, who defeated South African giants Orlando Pirates 3-2 in the other semi-final tie.
Cardoso stated that the trust within the club, among all stakeholders, has been crucial in their journey to the final, a feat they last achieved in 2016.
CARDOSO ATTRIBUTES REACHING FINAL TO TRUST AMONG ALL STAKEHOLDERS AT SUNDOWNS
“Trust, trust, no doubt, trust on the way we have been living this experience together, trust on the quality of each other, trust in the game plan for the match, trust that even when we were losing 1-0 we could score, trust that whatever happened in the past has nothing to do with new history that had to be written in Cairo,” said Cardoso.
“We trust in a club that supports and gives [us] [the resources] to work hard, and trust in our families that are at home, the love we receive, trust in our supporters that are in South Africa. Basically, in brotherhood, we trust.”
Meanwhile, Cardoso mentioned he understood why Al Ahly came with a cautious approach in the game, considering that their winless streak against Sundowns goes back to 2021.
THE PORTUGUESE WASN’T SURPRISED BY AHLY’S CAUTIOUS APPROACH
“Well, eventually yes [I was surprised] but I understand [why they were defensive] because I think that in the last nine matches, Al Ahly have not beaten Mamelodi Sundowns,” added Cardoso.
“It’s understandable that they had to be careful, it also has to do with the fact that we are playing tight matches. Teams had to take care of each other because we knew that [conceding] a goal would make things bad.
“We also knew that scoring one [was important] and we had to protect our defence.
“We did a lot of changes in the second-half in order to become more aggressive, and we lost a little bit of creativity, but we had more aggression in the front. But in the end, we deserved it even though we have respect for Al Ahly.
“But we have a big respect for ourselves for having believed that we could reach this stage.”
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