Cardoso reveals how Sundowns capitalised on Durban City’s busy schedule

The Brazilians were ruthless at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, an unfamiliar venue with their usual Tshwane home grounds unavailable.

City arrived after a busy spell that included a CAF Confederation Cup trip to Mauritius and Wednesday’s Carling Knockout fixture. 

Cardoso acknowledged that the limited recovery and preparation time may have worked in Sundowns’ favour.

"I think it was a very animated game. We had the intention to use the weapon of fatigue from our side. We knew that this team had played a few matches in a row, so they definitely did not have proper recovery time, with a lot of trips and a lot of traveling," said Cardoso.

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"We also experienced that, and we know how difficult it is, especially for players who are not used to consistently playing on the third or fourth day. Obviously, that intensity is what we tried to use from the very beginning. We also made some mistakes because we wanted to do things quickly so that we would bring fatigue to the opponents as fast as possible and then, obviously, capitalize on mistakes from more space."

The plan didn’t produce as many goals in the first half, with the coach adding that their halftime team talk was crucial. 

"Obviously at halftime we had a very important talk to re-organise ourselves to understand where the spaces we need to play more how to be more compact. I think we made a few mistakes in the last 15 to 20 minutes of the first half."

Cardoso once again highlighted the need for officiating in the PSL to improve as he felt Sundowns were denied several penalties.

Meanwhile, the Sundowns mentor admitted to still being under pressure to deliver at the club following their shock elimination from the CAF Champions League – effectively surrendering their crown.