Mamelodi Sundowns got the job done on Saturday, courtesy of Brayan León’s brace to send the reigning PSL champions to the next round of the CAF Champions League and pretty much ease the pressure off coach Miguel Cardoso’s shoulders.
Sundowns showed why they were finalists of the Champions League last season, as they produced a pretty, convincing 2-0 win over an MC Alger outfit that did not come to the party, especially given the magnitude of the game.
The game did not live up to its fullest potential, quality-wise, especially with the hype and drama that took place leading up to the game, where Alger coach Rulani Mokwena was accused of spying on the Sundowns team using his former performance analyst, Mario Masha.
Yes, Masandawana started and ended the game strongly, showing some flair and flamboyance here and there, but the game was not the best of football matches to watch, given the number of stakes riding on the fixture.
There were just tempers and palpitations flying from the two benches for most parts of the game, as expected, but it got out of hand when Cardoso dished out his tactics with hand gestures right in front of the Mouloudia bench just after scoring their second goal.
That lacked a bit of class from the Portuguese, as it seemed as if he was mocking or provoking Mokoena and his entire team. That resulted in him running for his life back to his bench, which led to an unpleasant scuffle in the dugout.
Be that as it may, Cardoso got the result that he desperately needed and will now turn his focus to another big clash against Orlando Pirates in the league on Wednesday.
