Miguel Cardoso leaps to Ronwen Williams' defence after blunder costs Mamelodi Sundowns valuable points against Siwelele

Mamelodi Sundowns had hopes of climbing back to the leading spot on the log standings and overtaking their tough competitors, Orlando Pirates, as they headed to the Free State, but Siwelele FC had other plans, holding down the 10-man Masandawana after taking the lead in the first half through a costly mistake by the Bafana Bafana number one goalkeeper, Ronwen Williams. 

However, the away team managed to sneak in one goal to make things level, walking away with a single point that kept them in second place with 26 points, three points behind Pirates who also have a game in hand.

Williams has been the trusted goalkeeper for the Tshwane team, featuring in all of Sundowns’ league matches, while managing to keep six clean sheets and conceding seven times in the other clashes. With all the experience he has under his belt, a different approach would have been expected in such moments, but the night proved once again that football is always the ultimate winner, with no player becoming an exception.

However, Downs coach Miguel Cardoso quickly brushed off any criticism of the incident, reminding everyone of the calibre of the thirty-three-year-old netminder and refusing to entertain negativity, insisting that Williams deserves the respect he has earned through years of hard work.

Speaking to the media after the disappointing result at the Dr. Molemela Stadium, the Portuguese coach defended his trusted goalkeeper, emphasising that the outcome was not determined by the early incident in the match.

“I can’t comment [on Williams’ mistake], but that has not even been the reason,” Cardoso said, according to TimesLive.

“We have a goalkeeper who last [season] was the best in Africa, who this season was nominated as one of the best in Africa.

“He’s been a national goalkeeper for several years. He doesn’t need any comments, any negative appreciation. He just needs respect, and that’s all I give to him,” he added.

However, the fifty-three-year-old was pressed to address the elephant in the room — the ongoing officiating woes in the South African league. Masandawana finished the match with a player down after Teboho Mokoena received a red card, a controversial incident that many felt was uncalled for based on the referee’s decision.

“The story of the match is we had to play the last 15 minutes with one less player. It was a situation that was clear for everybody that my player [Mokoena] just played the ball and not the opponent, but he received a second yellow card, and we had to play with 10 men," Cardoso explained.

“The story of the game can be told in different ways, but for the ones who are fair and clever in the way they see the game, there’s another story to be told.

“Of course, we’re not happy, we fought for the three points against a team that is honest and has the capacity to defend and try to catch us on counter-attacks,” he concluded.

This was Sundowns last match ahead of the mid-season hiatus for 2025 AFCON in Morocco. As such, it will give Cardoso time to spend with his players on the training field so that when domestic and club-level continental competition returns in late January, his team are ready for the league title fight and their desire to secure their second  star. 

With the mid-season transfer window opening too, Cardoso and the technical team will be assessing targets that can help them in these endeavours.