Cardoso admits Sundowns' CAF CL exit is a 'failure' after Wiliete shock

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has admitted that being knocked out of the CAF Champions League in the second round is a "failure" after they were eliminated by Wiliete.

Sundowns played the second-leg at home under pressure to win at all costs after they played to a goalless draw in the first-leg a week prior in Angola. 

Masandawana winger Tashreeq Matthews settled the nerves after opening the scoring with 11 minutes on the clock but the home side could not double their advantage before the break.

Read: Malatsi: If Chiefs can get 11 new signings like Phili…

Wiliete, who absorbed the pressure and were playing on counter-attacks were gifted the equaliser four minutes from the half-time interval, after Cassius Mailula made a stray pass that could not reach Marcelo Allende but experienced striker showed predatory instincts to latch onto a loose ball through on goal and made no mistake, one-on-one with goalkeeper Ronwen Williams. 

The Angolan side were well organized at the back, as they frustrated The Brazilians with a low block and the 1-1 draw was enough to see them reach the group stages for the first time in their history after they progressed on the away goals rule following a 1-1 draw on aggregate.

In his post-match press conference, Cardoso admitted that "it’s a failure" from everybody not to reach the group stages for the first time since 2015.

Read: Walter Mokoena draws the line on Swallows Steering Committee

"Of course it's a failure, it's a failure from everybody, we should embrace it, from the players to the coaches obviously. But I want to state how it is a failure because I don't want to give you an opportunity just to say that," Cardoso told reporters at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.

"I think we controlled the match completely, we just did not score the goals we had to score. If you count the opportunities we had inside the box, both in the first-half, second-half, we had to make more, express the result.

"Obviously if you don't finish the situations you have, you stay exposed to anything that could happen in the match," the Portuguese coach added.

Related tags

Angola Caf Champions League Mamelodi Sundowns Miguel Cardoso Wiliete Sport Clube