Miguel Cardoso rallies Mamelodi Sundowns after defensive lapses cost them against Al Hilal

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso was left frustrated after his team’s 2-2 draw with Al Hilal in their CAF Champions League group-stage clash on Friday, but he remains adamant their fate is still in their hands.

Sundowns are top of Group C in their continental campaign with five points, level with second-placed Al Hilal. So, had they beaten their closest rivals at home at Loftus Versfeld on Friday night, they could have bought themselves some breathing space.

The Brazilians were their own worst enemies against the Sudanese outfit, forgetting two of the golden rules of the continent: possession doesn’t win matches, and home games at any stage of the competition are must-win.

And that’s not all. Sundowns let themselves down defensively on the two goals conceded, as they failed to close down their opponents and allowed them space inside the box.

Having let go of what would have been a huge chance to extend their lead at the top and put a foot in the knockout round of the competition, a win for either MC Alger or St. Eloi Lupopo during the two teams’ clash in Lubumbashi on Sunday would trim their lead to just one point.

Cardoso will be unfazed by the result that comes out of that match, saying their focus is on beating the Blue Wave at a neutral venue in Rwanda in the return leg on Friday night.

“We are going to approach the match in Rwanda to win it. It has nothing to do with the other match that will be played at the other stadium,” Cardoso said. “Our match will be our match, and it has nothing to do with other teams.

“We will always play to win, despite what happened today. I also said that during the pre-match press conference: we shouldn’t leave it until the last match.

“Obviously, today (Friday) we didn’t collect maximum points as we should have, though we deserved to win. But of course, we’ll go and fight for the three points in Rwanda, no doubt.”

Cardoso will need to get his selection right against the Blue Wave. At home, he gave a full debut to youngster Thato Sibiya following an impressive first start and appearance earlier in the week during the 2-0 win over Orbit College.

The 19-year-old looked shaky against the stocky and experienced campaigners of African football, cheaply losing possession and being caught napping at times.

The Portuguese coach, however, fully defended Sibiya, saying that he did his best on the night and that he only rested him in the 65th minute as a precautionary measure and to reduce the risk of injury.

“He was probably out of position for the first goal of Al Hilal,” Cardoso said. “But what we expect from a boy like that is exactly what he's giving – a lot of energy, aggressive and quick in recovering possession.

“It’s a boy who’ll be much better in the future. He’ll be an asset for Sundowns for sure. He’s an important player. It’s a pity that he didn’t finish the match. Probably, if he had finished the match, we wouldn’t have conceded that goal because it came from that position on the left.”

Cardoso regretted substituting Sibiya, revealing how his replacement, Fawaaz Basadien, cost the team three points.

“We decided to bring in Fawaaz, and unfortunately, we conceded a goal from his position,” Cardoso added. “It is what it is. Football is like that. Goals happen from mistakes. The problem is that we shouldn’t have made that mistake.

“There were many entries into the box, and we conceded a goal at a moment when the game was under control. I think in the second half we were more in control than in the first half.”