Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has acknowledged that his side was not at their best during their Betway Premiership encounter against TS Galaxy on Tuesday, admitting that fatigue played a significant role in their 1-0 defeat.
The match, held at the Mbombela Stadium, was decided by a solitary goal from Kamogelo Sebelebele in the 44th minute, leaving Sundowns with only their second league loss of the 2024/25 season. Despite the setback, Sundowns remain atop the league table with 42 points from 16 matches.
The defeat marked Cardoso’s first loss in the league since taking over as head coach, highlighting the demanding nature of the league and the challenges of maintaining peak performance over a packed fixture list. While the result was disappointing, Cardoso remained optimistic about his team’s ability to bounce back stronger.
Speaking to SuperSport after the game, the head coach refuted suggestions that they were outplayed by the Rockets.
He said: “Sorry I didn’t see [Galaxy dominate], we were dominant all game. TS Galaxy defended all game, obviously we didn’t have the energy that we needed. It’s our fourth match in 72 hours.
“And we were penalised because of that. We had better chances, we should’ve scored but we were penalised with the goal in the last minute of the first half and we had no energy for the second one.”
Cardoso added: “The lesson is continue to look forward and continue to work. I’ve always said it will be a long championship, not once have you heard me say something different than that.
“So my position today is exactly the same we will rise from today, and for sure we will come back even stronger.”
Sundowns’ loss allowed rivals Orlando Pirates to remain in second place, now 9 points behind the leaders with 33 points. Polokwane City occupies third place with 29 points, while TS Galaxy’s victory propelled them into fourth with 25 points from 17 games.