High praise for Mamelodi Sundowns despite Borussia Dortmund defeat

The Brazilians stunned their Group F counterparts by taking the lead at the TQL Stadium through forward Lucas Ribeiro before the Germans clawed their way back, in what would become a seven-goal thriller.

Although the defeat means Downs now have to beat Fluminense in their final game to progress to the round of 16, Cardoso argued they matched the level of a team that plays in the Bundesliga topflight.

"I feel many emotions at the moment. The first emotion is unhappiness, but not being happy is a wonderful sensation in this moment because we competed at the highest level.

"With all due respect to Borussia Dortmund, we pushed the level of the game today, and we managed to play an open game against a very strong opponent," declared Cardoso. 

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Cardoso cautioned his charges against mistakes that ultimately cost them the game, but acknowledged once more that they were resilient in trying to keep up with a physical Dortmund outfit.

The Portuguese mentor added that the way Sundowns played against Dortmund was a reflection of their true identity.

 "The possession statistics and the expected goals favoured Mamelodi Sundowns, one speaks to the style and the moments we created.

"During this match, we displayed shoe shine and piano at the highest level," said the proud Portuguese. 

Cardoso admitted the half-time team talk was one of the most difficult to give since becoming the Sundowns’ head coach, given that it’s rare they find themselves trailing by big margins.

"It was not a normal situation, I think this season it happened to us maybe once before. That's why you have to highlight the resilience and the quality of this group."