"We need to go to Congo and obviously play to win," Cardoso said.
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso remained defiant despite his side’s 2-1 defeat to Al-Hilal in their CAF Champions League encounter, insisting that the loss has not derailed their ambitions of progressing to the knockout stages.
The setback at Amahoro Stadium in Rwanda on Friday evening saw Sundowns relinquish top spot in Group C, dropping to second place as Al-Hilal moved to the summit following a closely contested clash.
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With two group-stage fixtures still to play, the Brazilians retain control of their destiny. They next travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo to face Saint-Éloi Lupopo before concluding their campaign with a home fixture against MC Alger in what could prove to be a decisive fortnight in their continental journey.
“We need to go to Congo and obviously play to win. It’s obviously an important match and we need to collect the points,” Cardoso said.
“We can’t risk nothing more than not having the proper attitude in Congo in order to face that fixture. It will be a tough match but tough moments are for tough people and we need to raise that attitude and stay together.”
Sundowns’ campaign has been inconsistent thus far, with just one victory from four matches, alongside two draws and a single defeat. While the results have kept them in the qualification race, Cardoso has been candid about the areas that require improvement, particularly at the back.
The coach expressed concern over his side’s defensive record after conceding four goals across their two meetings with Al-Hilal, highlighting the fine margins that often decide matches in Africa’s prestigious club competition.
“I think the lessons from these two matches are the number of goals that couldn’t score and the easy goals that we suffered,” he added.
“When you suffer such easy goals and concede four goals in two matches is not normal. That’s also an analysis that we need to do on how to avoid that. If you suffer goals in a champions league match, it’s very difficult to win the match and even to draw sometimes will be very difficult.”
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Before turning their attention back to continental matters, Masandawana have domestic business to take care of. They face Motsepe Foundation Championship side Gomora United in the Nedbank Cup round of 32 on Wednesday at Loftus Versfeld.
