Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso was a relieved man after his side's 3-2 victory against Golden Arrows in their MTN8 semi-final in Umlazi on Sunday was enough to secure their place in the final.
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Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso hailed his side’s mentality after they overturned a first-leg deficit to beat Golden Arrows 3-2 at King Goodwill Zwelithini Stadium on Sunday and reach the MTN8 final on the away-goals rule.
Sundowns had lost the first leg 1-0 in Pretoria, with Junior Dion scoring for Arrows, leaving the Brazilians needing to overturn the deficit in Umlazi.
They did just that, although it was anything but straightforward.
Cassius Mailula levelled the tie in the first half before Dion struck again in the 69th minute to restore Arrows’ lead on the night. But Sundowns refused to panic.
Substitute Antonio van Wyk provided the cross that led to Marcelo Allende’s equaliser in the 77th minute before turning form provider into match-winner eight minutes later with a long-range effort.
Arrows added a late goal through Philani Khumalo, but Sundowns held on to win 3-2 on the night and level the tie 3-3 on aggregate. Their three away goals ultimately sent them through.
“It’s not easy to score three goals against Golden Arrows,” Cardoso said.
He praised Pitso Dladla's team for their organisation and commitment, but felt Sundowns had the right mindset to deal with the pressure of needing to overturn the first-leg result.
“We had to build a strong commitment and attitude and positivity around this match,” he said. “We suffered, but we were able to keep ourselves in the right positivity towards the direction of the game.”
Cardoso knew he had attacking options on the bench who could change the game and was pleased with the response from his substitutes.
“We knew that we had finishers on the bench to bring in, that could bring energy and also give us some tricks,” he said.
Van Wyk certainly delivered, helping to turn the tie decisively in Sundowns’ favour. But Cardoso was keen to stress that Sundowns’ progress was not simply down to having quality players available. It was also about finding different solutions to different opponents.
“There’s an expression that says for the ones that just have a hammer as an instrument or a solution, all the problems look like nails,” he said. “But all the teams are not like nails. Some are nails, some are screws, and we need to use different tools according to the matches. Otherwise we will not solve the problems.”
For Cardoso, Sunday’s comeback was evidence of the progress being made within his squad, particularly with the demands of competing on multiple fronts.
“When the competition started we said that we’d like to be in the final,” he said. “I asked the boys and said, ‘Guys, I need to play this final, I want you guys to play this final.’”
Now they have got their wish. Sundowns will contest the MTN8 final against four-time defending champions Orlando Pirates after surviving a thrilling semi-final in which they showed the resilience Cardoso had demanded – and, crucially, made their away goals count.
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