Miguel Cardoso shrugs off goal difference talk as Sundowns edge ahead

The Brazilians climbed to the top of the table with an emphatic 4-1 victory at Loftus Versfeld but remain locked in a neck-and-neck title race with Orlando Pirates with eight matches to go. 

Cardoso downplayed the importance of piling up goals, maintaining that consistency in securing points will ultimately decide whether Sundowns go all the way for a record-extending ninth crown in a row. 

"It's not really a subject I want to address, but it's important to fight for victory in every match – that's the focus we have," said Cardoso.

"In the next match we focus on the plan, the selection of the players, everything looks very easy and very bright, but there are also some moments and things that we have to handle.

"The players, the conditioning, the injuries – the ones with availability and the protection we have to offer some, and sometimes you think its [easy].

"But that's our focus, we now need to understand this match is finished, give one day of rest to the boys and then pick up from there to prepare for Durban City, which is also quite a beautiful challenge.

"But the mindset must always be at the level of commitment because, if we take ourselves to that 100 percent, we are much closer to achieving the next victory, and we'll continue from there – that's the mindset, the goals are not more important than the three points."

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On dismantling Chippa with four well-executed goals, Cardoso admitted he was also concerned about his players’ welfare following international duty. 

"A good result, after an interesting game of football from both sides. It's always difficult to restart after an international break, with players gone for national team with a different idea of the game and then come back to the club, some with heavy legs," he said.

"The ones that stayed here are different, so it's about putting everyone on the same thoughts again, but I'm very happy with the way the players understood the challenge.

"I really wanted to give them rest, we looked at the possibility to give rest, but we brought the players and gathered the team together because there are a lot of challenges ahead."