Cardoso Opens Up on What Sundowns Need to Do After Opening Day Betway Premiership Setback

Cardoso Opens Up on What Sundowns Need to Do After Opening Day Betway Premiership Setback

  • Miguel Cardoso has come out to highlight what Mamelodi Sundowns need to do next after their slip-up in their first Betway Premiership match of the season against Chippa United
  • The defending champions drew against the Chilli Boys when they were expected to come out with all three points at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
  • The Portuguese tactician and his team will switch focus to their next league match against another top side before facing Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 semi-final clash

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has outlined what the Brazilians need to do after beginning the 2025-26 Betway Premiership season with a draw against Chippa United.

The defending champions were held to a 1-1 draw by the Chilli Boys in both teams' opening game of their Betway Premiership campaign at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha.

The stalemate means Masandawana are not yet on top of the league table, and need a win in their next match to be in a good position.

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Miguel Cardoso comments after Mamelodi Sundowns dropped points against Chippa United.
Miguel Cardoso reacts to Mamelodi Sundowns' draw against Chippa United in the Betway Premiership. Photo: Carmen Mandato
Source: Getty Images

Cardoso on what to do next

Cardoso, in an interview after the match, admitted that starting the league season with a draw is not a good way to start the campaign.

The Portuguese tactician is positive that the Brazilians can bounce back despite losing two crucial points against Chippa United in their next match.

"I think we need to take it one game at a time," Cardoso said. "Of course, starting the season with a draw isn’t ideal.
"But whether you drop two points in the first match or the last, it’s still two points lost. The goal is to finish with more points than the rest, so let’s see how our rivals perform in this round. We have to come back stronger in the next game.
"This match is behind us now. It’s time to look forward, fix our mistakes, and continue building the team. There’s still time left in the transfer window, so we need to address our gaps and see how strong we can become. It’s all about hard work and progress from here."

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Miguel Cardoso opens up on Mamelodi Sundowns next line of action.
Miguel Cardoso speaks on what Mamelodi Sundowns need to do next after dropping points against Chippa United. Photo: Michael Regan
Source: Getty Images

What's next for Sundowns

Sundowns will switch focus to their next match in the league, which is against AmaZulu at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Tuesday, August 12, 2025

It would be the defending champions' first match at home in the league this season after thrashing Richard Bay in the MTN8.

They also have a mouthwatering clash against Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 semi-final this weekend, and a win against the Soweto giants could give them the chance to win their first title this campaign.

Ex-Sundowns star joins Liverpool FC this summer

Briefly News also reported that a former Mamelodi Sundowns star has completed his move to Liverpool Futbol Club after leaving the Brazilians this summer.

The former Premier Soccer League star will join Liverpool on loan for the rest of the season and his performance would determine if the club would sign him permanently next summer.

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Raphael Abiola avatar

Raphael Abiola (Sports editor) Raphael Abiola is a Nigerian Sports Journalist with over seven years of experience. He obtained a B.Tech degree in Computer Science from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, in 2015. Raphael previously worked as a football editor at Stakegains (2016-2018) and a content editor with Opera News Nigeria (2018-2023). Raphael then worked as an Editor for the Local Desk at Sports Brief (2023-2024). Reach him via email at raphael.abiola@sportsbrief.com.

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