No room for complacency in Mali for Mamelodi Sundowns

The Brazilians are aiming to finish the job in Mali and secure back-to-back semifinal appearances in the competition.

While acknowledging the importance of their dominant win in Tshwane, Cardoso is demanding a disciplined and professional performance away from home to ensure safe passage.

"What is important is how we face these matches if it was an only match. We had to basically deal with the result of this match fighting for a result and basically obviously considering that in the end of the match we want to proceed and for that we need to have a serious approach against a team that has made regular group stages and was so strong,” Cardoso said.

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Asked what mindset Cardoso had instilled in his players in preparation for a Stade Malien outfit that has vowed to make it tough to qualify, the coach had this to say.

"To have a very strong mentality in the way we approach the game. We should not rely on what is behind and just do what we have to do from the first minute up to the last one,” the coach added.

“We should fight for a result throughout the match, show our capacities, respect our behaviours, respect the game plan. If we take ourselves closer to the limit we'll be closer to having the result that we want and need.”

Sundowns winger Tashreeq Matthews confirmed this. 

"It's a second leg game that we are going to but it's important for us to get the three points, it doesn't matter the previous result we had but we came here like we always say with the mentality that the coach always encourages us to play the game for a victory,” Matthews said.