Cardoso moans that 'someone clever' denied Sundowns victory against Siwelele

Mamelodi Sundowns made a trip to Molemela Stadium to face Siwelele in the Mzansi top-tier assignment.

Being the last game of the year before the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) break, Masandawana hoped to get maximum points and topple Orlando Pirates.

However, it wasn't the case; the defending champions were stunned by a Vincent Pule strike after Ronwen Williams' blunder.

Masandawana equalised courtesy of Lebo Mothiba before Teboho Mokoena's controversial sending off after a second bookable offense.

The result means Sundowns collected 26 points from 13 Premier Soccer League outings, two less than the Buccaneers, who will not be in action in the PSL until late January.

Coach Miguel Cardoso was left frustrated by the officiating and went on to claim someone clever, probably referring to Abongile Tom, who was officiating the match, denied the Brazilians maximum points.

“We had a massive control in the second half, we scored, but someone on the pitch, more clever than everyone else, decided to make the game difficult for us,” the tactician said in his post-match interview.

“And that’s the story of the game. It seems like people come here and speak a lot and make teasers out of this match.

“But in this match, there was Sundowns trying to score and the other team just handling them, nothing more," he added.

“I said there was someone clever, I didn’t speak about the referee," Cardoso further added when asked about the Mokoena red card.

“It’s up to you to analyse, you had the TV, and you can say what you saw, not me. I don’t know. I don’t want to be punished."

Cardoso has further insisted his team could have collected maximum points by scoring more goals.

"These kinds of games always have a story that is very easy to tell. Yes, there was a draw, but the reality is that there's a team that fought from the very beginning wanting to win this match," he continued.

 "I think we started well and brought the kind of dynamics we wanted inside the pitch, and obviously, there's a mistake that brought some energy to the opponents. That challenged the emotional state of my players, but with the experience we have, we should not let that get to us; but continue to be loyal to ourselves. And we know we should have scored more

"Indeed, we were not able to finish strong in the first half, but we made the changes in the second half. And then the story of the match, we had to play the last 15 minutes with less than one player. 

"It was clear that my player just played the ball and did nothing against the opponent, and he received the second yellow card. The story of the game can be told in different ways, but for those who are fair and clever in the way they see the game, there's another story to be told.

"If you want to look at the result and make a story out of the result, you can tell another story. We fought for the three points against a team that is honest and has the capacity to organise, and we had to risk a lot. It is a pity that we didn't finish the job," Cardoso concluded.

Coach Cardoso knows he has a big assignment to do before club football returns late in January.

Having failed to win the MTN8 and the Carling Knockout, Sundowns can't afford to struggle in the Premier Soccer League, Nedbank Cup, and the CAF Champions League.

They have enough quality to win a treble, but if Cardoso fails to get the needed consistency, he might be relieved of his duties.