Mamelodi Sundowns coach, Miguel Cardoso, believes that his team has not finished their work even though they have placed themselves in a good position to advance to the Caf Champions League.
The Brazilians had their work cut out for them by defeating the Malian team, Stade Malien, 3-0 in the first leg of the quarterfinal match of this tournament at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria on Friday night.
The first goal was scored by Khuliso Mudau in the first half, two of which were scored by Bryan Leon and Iqraam Rayners in the second half.
Cardoso was encouraged by the fact that his team was able to hit the net repeatedly against a team with a strong wall.
In the group stage, Stade Malien conceded only two goals in six games against Esperance from Tunisia, Petro de Luanda from Angola and Simba from Tanzania.
“The game had a different ending. I didn’t like the first 25 minutes, but the team raised the level after that. At the beginning of the game, we respected our opponents a lot, we respected ourselves,” said Cardoso.
“The most important thing is that we scored three goals against a team that scored almost as many goals as the big African teams in the group stage, and we did not concede any goals.”
The Sandawanas are now looking at the Betway Premiership match they will play against Marumo Gallants on Tuesday night before the second leg against Stade Malien which will be played at the Stade du 26 Mars, in the city of Bamako, next Sunday, March 22.
“The thing we are focusing on now is Tuesday’s game against Marumo Gallants. After that, we will focus on the second leg. If we look too far ahead, we might stumble,” Cardoso continued.
“Winning 3-0 is just a result. In the history of football, we have seen teams come back after being defeated in this way. If we don’t go to Bamako with a strong team, with the intention of standing up and having a clear mind, we can face difficulties.
“That game will be very different. The field will be dry, which will make it difficult to play a quick game. It will be hot again, so it will be difficult to play the type of game we are used to.
“I trust the experience of the players and that if they are determined, we can play well on the road and fight for a good result,” said the coach.