Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso slammed his side for “falling asleep” after a bright start against Golden Arrows on Sunday afternoon.
The Portuguese tactician admitted a goalkeeper substitution disrupted their rhythm and led to a costly defensive error that resulted in a 1-0 MTN8 semi-final first-leg defeat, similar to a mistake against Kaizer Chiefs.
Despite the loss, Cardoso insisted it is “just half-time” of the tie and remains confident his team will respond strongly in the second leg.
“I think we have a good start first 20 minutes until the substitution of the goalkeeper from Golden Arrows. That took us little bit out of the rhythm of the game,” Cardoso told the media.
“We were okay seven minutes to make a substitution and then we fall asleep. We fell asleep until halftime, completely asleep.”
Despite the loss, Cardoso insisted: “It’s a result that’s half of the match… it’s just half of the job and time played,” and remains confident his team will respond strongly in the second leg.
Sundowns will now host AmaZulu FC on Wednesday in the Betway Premiership match in Pretoria, before travelling to Durban for the second leg game against Arrows at King Zwelithini Stadium on Sunday.
