Nine Red Cards? Miguel Cardoso complains about the rate at which Mamelodi Sundowns players are dismissed after a victory against Marumo Gallants - 'They are coming out very easy'

Mamelodi Sundowns secured a 3-1 victory over Marumo Gallants, returning to winning ways with Marcelo Allende opening his account for the season, while Lucas Ribeiro hit double digits in the league.

Iqraam Rayners ended his goal drought, bringing his season tally to seven, Sundowns finished the game with ten men as Denis Onyango received a red card for two bookable offenses.

This marks the second red card for the Brazilians in two consecutive games. The team had to adapt quickly, with Thapelo Morena stepping in as goalkeeper after all substitutions were used.

Coach Miguel Cardoso expressed concerns over the frequency of dismissals his team is receiving as it raises concerns.

“The way the game finished wasn’t the best, in terms of dealing with [another] red card, the cards are becoming too easy to be given to our players, it has nothing to do with Marumo,” Cardoso told reporters.

“It has to do in general with teams against Sundowns always find moments to stop the game, to deal with moments where we are stronger, closer to [scoring] and it happened again – it’s a way to manage the game, I can’t say anything.

“But it those moments I never see yellow cards for players [time wasting], and then we saw Denis, he had to kick a ball in front, he received a yellow card and then after that it was an action for a second yellow and the red…

“I think the red cards for Sundowns are becoming cheap, they are coming out very easy."

“They coped very well with the situation as we had no more susbtitutions to do, so we had to find a solution, Tapelo was the player we decided to put in goal because he has experienced it already,” Cardoso said.

“It was important to manage that six minute and have the ball as much as possible – in that moment we had to deal with the freekick…

“But okay thank God it was not on target and after that it was quite simple to manage the game as our players have the quality to keep the ball as much as possible and deal with one or two counter attacks, it wasn’t as difficult as it could have been.”

Frequent dismissals are becoming a concern for Mamelodi Sundowns, with Cardoso believing his players are being booked too easily. Playing with ten men once again showcased the team’s resilience, as Thapelo Morena stepped up in goal and ensured they did not concede.

As they continue their title charge, Sundowns must find ways to avoid unnecessary suspensions that could disrupt their momentum. Masandawana have already received nine red cards across all competitions this season, most of them coming under the reign of the Portuguese mentor.

With a 12-point lead and 13 games remaining, Sundowns will face TS Galaxy in their next match which will be played on February 22.

Revenge will be on their minds, as Galaxy handed them one of their two league defeats this season.

Sundowns will aim to extend their lead on top of the league and continue with their dominance and move closer to another league title.