Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has dedicated the club’s first win of the season in the Betway Premiership on Tuesday night to Jayden Adams, who passed away exactly a month ago.
The Bafana Bafana star midfielder was found dead in an apartment in Cape Town soon after he had returned to South Africa from playing at the 2026 Fifa World Cup in Mexico, USA and Canada.
‘I’m happy for my boys’
On a cold Tuesday night in Mbombela, Masandawana put up a brave performance as they came back from behind and snatched a 3-2 victory over a stubborn TS Galaxy side. The win has propelled Downs to number four on the PSL league standings after the first round of matches.
“I am happy for my boys, I think they deserved to win,” Cardoso said on SuperSport TV after the match.
“There’s also someone who deserves to be part of this victory, and that is Jayden Adams. Unfortunately, it is exactly one month since he died. Another person who deserved to be here is Teboho Mokoena, I think everyone saw how his foot suffered from a ruthless tackle that was not sanctioned properly in our last game. But I am happy with the result because these matches sometimes do not end in this way,” he added.
Also Read: Bafana coach Hugo Broos pays his last respects for Jayden Adams
Mkhulisi shines
Cardoso also praised super-sub Siphelele Mkhulisi, who came from the bench and rescued Sundowns, who were trailing 2-1, scoring the equaliser and the winning goal right at the death.
“I think he deserved to be the Man of the Match today,” he added.
“I am sorry about all the work that Victor Letsoalo did, but I think today, Mkhulisi deserved to be man of the match – he means a lot for the club.
“He’s a player with a fantastic character because he’s able to sustain the aggression despite sometimes not being called. But we know we have a brother, we have a friend, we have someone that has quality, and when we bring him, we know what to expect.
“Today, he gave us the energy we needed and the goals also. I picked him up and put him on my shoulders, I took him in front of the fans because he deserved to be carried by me because he carried us also towards the result we needed.”
- Mamelodi Sundowns secured their first Betway Premiership win of the season with a 3-2 victory over TS Galaxy on Tuesday night in Mbombela.
- Coach Miguel Cardoso dedicated the victory to Jayden Adams, who passed away exactly one month prior and was found dead shortly after returning from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
- The win propelled Sundowns to fourth place on the PSL league standings after the first round of matches.
- Siphelele Mkhulisi, coming off the bench, scored both the equaliser and the winning goal, earning the Man of the Match award according to Cardoso.
- Cardoso also noted the absence of Teboho Mokoena, who suffered an unsanctioned injury in the previous game but did not play in this match.
Mamelodi
On a cold Tuesday night in
“I am happy for my boys, I think they deserved to win,” Cardoso said on SuperSport TV after the match.
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Also Read: Bafana coach Hugo Broos pays his last respects for Jayden Adams
Cardoso also praised super-sub Siphelele
“I think he deserved to be the Man of the Match today,” he added.
“I am sorry about all the work that Victor Letsoalo did, but I think today,
“He’s a player with a fantastic character because he’s able to sustain the aggression despite sometimes not being called. But we know we have a brother, we have a friend, we have someone that has quality, and when we bring him, we know what to expect.
“Today, he gave us the energy we needed and the goals also. I picked him up and put him on my shoulders, I took him in front of the fans because he deserved to be carried by me because he carried us also towards the result we needed.”
