A dejected Miguel Cardoso dragged his almost lifeless body to the Loftus Versfeld auditorium on Saturday, needing to sip on water before taking his seat.
The Mamelodi Sundowns coach was down in spirits after his team was held to a 1-1 draw by Pyramids in the CAF Champions League final first leg in Pretoria.
Sundowns had led through Lucas Ribeiro Costa in the 54th minute, but Walid El Karti cancelled out that strike in stoppage time.
The draw means that the Brazilians have to score in the return leg at 30 June Stadium in Cairo next Sunday to keep their chances of winning their second crown alive.
It has been nine years since Sundowns ruled Africa as they won their maiden title under then-coach Pitso Mosimane in their second final attempt.
That dream of getting back to the pinnacle of African football took a huge knock at home, reflecting why the Portugal-born coach Cardoso showed raw emotion of dejection afterwards.
But the 52-year-old mentor didn’t allow the setback to weigh him down in optimism as he said that adversity is the breakfast of champions.
“The attitude of champions is seen when things are not going well – when things are beautiful, it’s very easy to be champions,” Cardoso explained in his post-match address.
⏳👀#TotalEnergiesCAFCC pic.twitter.com/94QkZJwKZE
— TotalEnergies CAFCL & CAFCC 🏆 (@CAFCLCC) May 24, 2025
“Champions show up in difficult situations. We have a match of 90 minutes to play, and have the responsibility to score (at least) one goal as well.”
The last time Sundowns won the continental crown was also in Egypt, as they beat Zamalek 3-1 on aggregate over the two-legged contest.
The Brazilians had made the job easier for themselves as they won 3-0 in the first leg at home, resulting in the 1-0 loss to the White Knights in Cairo irrelevant.
But with Sundowns having beaten Al Ahly 1-0 on aggregate in the semi-final this season, with the goal coming in the second leg in Cairo, they’ll be confident of winning the second leg of the final against Pyramids next Sunday.
Cardoso knows that it won’t be easy, though, and that’s why they’ll have to give as good as they get on the day.
“We need to have a strong mentality. Even if they score over there, we need to continue looking for the goal that will equalise the match,” Cardoso said.
“It’s open. They know it’s open. The strongest team in the second match will be the one that will win the match, for sure.
“The approach for the game will be the same as we approach all the other games. The team that will show more interest, and motivation, will win the second leg.”
A hard fought battle in the first leg – let’s go to Cairo and give it everything Masandawana!👆🌍
Mamelodi Sundowns (54’ Ribeiro) 1️⃣➖1️⃣ Pyramids FC (90 + 4 Elkarti)#Sundowns #TotalEnergiesCAFCL #RabatsenaGape pic.twitter.com/LRLO1vm720
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) May 24, 2025
There’ll be high expectations for club captain and fan-favourite Themba Zwane to make an appearance in Cairo after being overlooked and benched in the first leg.
Zwane knows a thing or two about winning the continental showpiece, as he is one of the two surviving members of the class of 2016, alongside Denis Onyango.
“I have to manage Themba like all the other players. Everybody wanted to be part of the match,” Cardoso said.
“The decisions were made to keep the balance of the team, and we thought they were the best ones.
“It’s beautiful and ugly football at the same time.
“The last 10 seconds of the game changed the way you all think of us, and the decisions that were made.
“If we had not suffered that goal, everyone would say ‘The coach was fantastic, he didn’t touch the team, and he made the right choices’.
“We are under judgement!”
