Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has explained his surprise decision to start the match against Golden Arrows in the MTN8 with Lebo Mothiba ahead of Brayan Leon.
Mothiba got the nod in the starting line-up when Sundowns suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat against Arrows in the first leg of the MTN8 semi-final at Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium on Sunday.
The Brazilians conceded a goal in the first-half after struggling to convincingly clear their line as Junior Dion got into the score sheet.
Sundowns did all they could to chase the game in a bid to overturn the scoreline; however, Arrows proved to be solid at the back, clinching a crucial 1-0 victory to take advantage heading into the second leg of the semi-final next weekend.
In a match against Abafana Bes’thende, Cardoso made a handful of changes to his starting line-up, with notable names such as Ronwen Williams, Themba Zwane, Iqraam Rayners and Leon not starting.
One of the shock inclusions in the line-up was Mothiba, who is yet to make a meaningful contribution at Sundowns since joining the club in March 2025.
Before Arrows found the back of the net, Mothiba had a golden opportunity to give Sundowns the lead, but he couldn’t convert with only the goalkeeper left to beat.
As a result, the experienced forward was substituted off at the half-time break with Leon taking his place.
MIGUEL CARDOSO DEFENDS MOTHIBA DECISION
Reflecting on his decision to name Mothiba in the starting line-up, the Portuguese mentor revealed that the striker has been training well and scoring goals in training.
“As a coach, I’m trying to do my best for the players. The coaching staff works hard in showing belief to the players,“ Cardoso said. “You saw how I supported him at a moment when the goal could have happened, but he was not the only one. There were many throughout the match.
“I remember last year or two years ago when Lucas Ribeiro was in a period of not scoring goals; you [media] were always asking why he didn’t score. And I said, one day the goals will come, and it happened.
“Anyway, Lebo has not been the first option in the striking position; Brayan, together with Rayners, have been the first option, and it’s normal that when the player isn’t playing consistently, it becomes difficult to pick up the rhythm of the match.
“Lebo has shown character; he made good training matches and scored in them. So he gave us all the energy, and as you understand, Brayan also comes from a pre-season where he didn’t train consistently, and we played three games in a row.
“It was absolutely normal that we had to rotate the players, and Brayan is too tired, and in the second-half I thought he was still tired; he’s not as fresh as we would like to have him, so the rotation has to do with that.”
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