Mamelodi Sundowns Coach Miguel Cardoso Hails Team's Resilience
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso hailed the steel of his side after a late Teboho Mokoena thunderbolt snatched a 2-1 win over Golden Arrows in a breathless Betway Premiership clash at King Zwelithini Stadium.
For long spells, it looked like Sundowns would have to settle for a point. Arrows refused to fold, the tempo never dropped, and the game swung from one box to the other. Then, with two minutes left, Mokoena stepped up.
The midfielder collected the ball on the edge of the area, took responsibility, and drilled it home. No half measures, no hesitation. A decisive strike that ripped the contest away from Arrows and kept Sundowns’ early-season charge on track.
Earlier, new signing Siyanda Ndlovu had marked his outing in Sundowns colours with a first-half opener, a composed finish that underlined why the club moved for him. Golden Arrows hit back after the break through Junior Dion, whose equaliser ignited the home crowd and tilted the momentum their way.
Sundowns bent but did not break. That was what pleased Cardoso most.
“I’m obviously happy with the character we’ve shown because sometimes if you concede a goal like that, you don’t have the mental capacity to be resilient and to fight for something,” he said, pointing to the psychological battle as much as the tactical one.
“So it means that the message, the character and attitude we’re trying to build is strong. No one can destroy the attitude and that is something that we have to state all the time.
“It will not obviously happen every time that we score in the last minute but if we believe, it will happen more frequently and the team showed belief.”
The result pushes the Tshwane giants to 16 points from six matches, three clear of Orlando Pirates at the top of the table. Pirates, though, still hold a game in hand, a reminder that this title race is only just beginning to simmer.
Cardoso wants belief – and brains
The win stretched Sundowns’ current run to four straight victories in all competitions, yet Cardoso’s assessment cut through any sense of complacency. He saw flaws amid the drama.
Sundowns face Siwelele FC at Loftus Versfeld on Wednesday, and the coach made it clear he expects sharper game management, especially when protecting a fragile lead.
“What I didn’t like is that after we scored the two one we still went to go attack like it was the last minute of the match and we were losing by two goals,” he admitted.
The picture was clear: instead of killing the tempo, Sundowns kept the game open, inviting chaos in a moment that called for control.
“But we needed to have the maturity at that point to manage the game and keep the ball in the right places to finish the game in the few minutes that were remaining. There’s obviously some learning to do from this match so that we can become stronger in the future.”
Belief dragged Sundowns over the line in Durban. Cardoso now wants something cooler to go with that fire – a ruthless calm that can decide championships when the margins get even thinner.
