Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso said they have put to rest their CAF Championship League first leg’s drawn match and are now focusing on winning the return match of the final.
Cardoso was speaking after Sundown’s lacklustre match with Pyramids of Egypt.
Sundowns took the lead in the early minutes of the first half via Lucas Ribeiro at Loftus Veld Stadium on Saturday.
However, the Egyptian team rallied and achieved a thrilling last-minute equaliser through Walid Elkarti.
Technically, the goal has given Pyramids an advantage on the road before the return leg final match on Sunday in Egypt.
“We are attempting to inspire the boys to put the first leg of this match behind them and concentrate on the final leg on Sunday because we are aware of the difficult match that awaits us in Egypt,” said Cardoso.
Sundowns will receive a second star if they defeat Pyramids on the road in Egypt.
An away goal rule helped Sundowns win the tournament trophy in 2016 after they played to a draw against Al Ahly in the first leg.
Pyramids coach praises Sundowns
According to Cardoso’s Pyramids counterpart Krunoslav Jurcic, Sundowns are a far superior team, and their hosting in Egypt does not diminish them in any way.
“Sundowns have shown character throughout this competition, and that alone means a lot about them,” said the 56-year-old Croatian-born coach.
“We will be hosting this return leg, but we don’t really have strong supporters, unlike them, who filled the stadium in their backyard.”
According to Jurcic, their late equaliser was not particularly noteworthy because they have scored a lot of goals in the closing minutes of games in the past, either as winning goals or equalisers.
“We are accustomed to scoring goals in the final minute of games at Pyramids. We have scored goals with just five minutes left in nearly 20 games in the past, so this is typical for us.”
Pyramids advanced to their first-ever final since the club’s founding in 2008 after defeating Orlando Pirates 2-1 in the semifinals.
