Following Mamelodi Sundowns’ loss to Orlando Pirates, coach Miguel Cardoso expressed frustration with his players’ performance.
Cardoso criticized his team’s start to the game, as the Buccaneers scored two goals within the first few minutes of the game.
“When you start a game like this, you shouldn’t expect good things to happen. I can only commend the reaction we had after conceding the first goal, up until the 25th minute. After that, we played until halftime with heart, but without brain. The brain stayed in the locker room, and football is mostly played with the brain,” Cardoso told SuperSport TV after the match.
“In the second half, we brought a little more brain onto the pitch. Unfortunately, there was a 15-minute period during the game when the referee allowed a stoppage and didn’t let anyone play.”
Cardoso also expressed dissatisfaction with the numerous pauses in the game, which he believes were intentional tactics by the Pirates players to disrupt the flow and kill the momentum.
“Everyone kept falling to the ground. There was no football. It’s a shame, but it’s the reality we’re dealing with, and it drained our energy,” Cardoso added.
“If it was a strategy, it was a good one because it certainly took away our energy. We were punished from the start. Nothing more to say.”
Despite the loss, Sundowns remain at the top of the Betway Premiership table with 58 points, from 23 matches, while the Buccaneers have collected 43 points after 19 games.