"If you were in my change room at half-time, you would understand how much I pushed these guys to win this match,” said Cardoso.
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has hit back at claims that he is a defensive-minded coach following his side’s 1-1 draw against Orlando Pirates in a Betway Premiership encounter at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday afternoon.
Peter Shalulile fired the hosts into the lead midway through the first half, but the Buccaneers fought back through a stunning strike from youngster Cemran Dansin to earn a share of the spoils in Tshwane.
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It was the third consecutive draw between the two giants this season, with both MTN8 semi-final meetings also ending level despite Sundowns taking the lead in all three matches.
After the final whistle, Cardoso launched a passionate defence of his approach, rejecting the perception that he sets his team up to be overly cautious.
“Of course we wanted to win and if you were in my change room at half-time, you would understand how much I pushed these guys to win this match,” said Cardoso.
“There’s no other mentality in me despite people saying ‘coach you’re defensive’ and that’s bullsh*t. Sorry for saying this, I didn’t know it was an abusive word, it comes from Portuguese. So what I mean is that it’s not true, we wanted to bring that energy to win the match.”
Despite creating several chances, Sundowns were unable to turn their dominance into victory. Pirates, meanwhile, will take heart from a spirited performance that once again frustrated the reigning champions. Cardoso pointed to his side’s limited attacking options, with a few players nursing injuries.
“We didn’t have a lot of power in terms of attack so there were moments where we felt that we can give more but there was no more to put inside,” he explained.
“I think the result is fair considering what we saw, a more dominant Sundowns and a Pirates that was loyal to what we saw from the previous matches. Third match, third draw and that means that the teams are equal at the moment.”
The Portuguese tactician reiterated his stance that defending the league title will be tougher than ever this season, with the competition looking far more balanced. Pirates, who have two games in hand, trail Sundowns by two points after nine matches.
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“When there was a launch of the PSL championship, I said that this season will have a different story and it will be much more equal until the end and that’s what we have now,” Cardoso concluded.
