Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has explained why Tashreeq Matthews was left out of the matchday squad during their 1–0 Carling Knockout Cup quarter-final win over Golden Arrows, bringing a remarkable 81-consecutive-game streak to an end.
Sundowns secured a hard-fought 1-0 win against the Mandla Ncikazi-led outfit at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Tuesday night to book a spot in the semi-finals of the competition.
However, Matthews’ absence from the Sundowns team officially brought an end to an extraordinary run that saw him feature in 81 consecutive matches across all competitions for the Chloorkop-based outfit. In doing so, the winger etched his name into the history books of South African football, setting a landmark record for both his club and the domestic game as a whole.
The 26-year-old played in 81 consecutive official matches for Masandawana between May 2025 and November 2026, establishing a new benchmark for durability in the Premier Soccer League [PSL] era.
Matthews surpassed a long-standing club record previously held by former Sundowns defender Ramahlwe Mphahlele. The latter set the previous club record in 2015 when he registered 50 consecutive starts for the Masandawana.
To top it off, Matthews not only blew past Mphahlele’s figure but extended the record by an additional 31 matches across all domestic and continental competitions.
The Bafana Bafana international has been an integral part of the Tshwane giants’ setup this season, featuring in 18 matches, scoring four goals, and adding four assists across all competitions.
‘HE NEEDED A LITTLE BIT OF AIR’: MIGUEL CARDOSO ON TASHREEQ MATTHEWS
Addressing the media in his post-match interview after the Arrows victory in Pretoria, Cardoso clarified that the decision to sideline the winger was purely for workload management and recovery.
“Today [Tuesday night] I could not bring Tashreeq; he obviously needed a little bit of air,” Cardoso explained.
“He has played so much and consecutively, so we felt that it was time to really let him release a little bit of his sports or competitive tension, and breathe a little bit.”
Cardoso also expressed satisfaction with Antonio Van Wyk’s contribution in the line-up, while detailing the ongoing tactical work being done to elevate Matthews’ overall game.
“We are happy with Antonio [Van Wyk]; we are pretty happy,” Cardoso added. “I think that, obviously, he’s a player [Tashreeq Matthews] who has also been challenging himself. We have been challenging him to become stronger defensively, more reactive, more capable of counter-pressing, and more capable of understanding the defensive moments of the game.
“He has been strong. He has been becoming much more versatile and much more useful, and we are pretty happy with the process we are doing together.”
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