Miguel Cardoso reveals role in defusing VAR chaos during CAF CL final

During Sunday evening’s first leg clash at Loftus Stadium, the system unexpectedly went offline moments before the second half, creating uncertainty around whether the match could continue under the competition’s regulations.

The visitors were initially reluctant to restart the game without the technology operational but Cardoso played mediator in the interest of the image of African football.

"Today I saw a lot of sports spirit between the players, the coaches and the staff. Even when the VAR was not working you saw me speaking with the coach and we told each other, guys we represent Africa, we need to give a good example to the world after what happened in the AFCON and we have to play this match. Even without VAR let's go and I think it was very beautiful to see how everybody understood with each other,” Cardoso said.

“We saluted each other in the end and that's the spirit of the teams, the will to win will never take the match in the direction that we don't want to see. We can play fantastic football that makes both coaches proud and Africa proud because we are showing ourselves to the world and I think I want people in Portugal to see how beautiful the game can be here. 

“How the game has levelled because sometimes people outside don't think that it exists because the idea that passes outside is that in Africa the football is played with kicks in the front or technically but tactically not good and that's not the reality. We need to show that to the world.”

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Sundowns go into the return match in Rabat this coming Sunday with a narrow advantage and Cardoso hopes they are able to protect that lead to be crowned champions of Africa in North Africa.

"The most important thing is that we understand that we can because we know that we can compete at this level with the best teams of the season and make a wonderful game,” the coach added.

“I think we made a wonderful game obviously that you would know and I also know that we could have scored for several times a second goal that obviously would give a more comfortable result but it's clear that we have to play for a victory in terms of scoring a goal over there because that is obviously the advantage that the team needs to fight for."