Sundowns’ Cardoso admits concern over Modiba injury

‘Let’s see what will happen with Aubrey, but probably we will lose him,’ said Cardoso at the post match press conference.

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso expects Aubrey Modiba to miss the second leg of their Caf Champions League final against Morocco’s AS FAR in Rabat on Sunday.

Modiba magic but then an injury

Modiba’s brilliant free kick gave Masandawana a slender 1-0 advantage at Loftus Stadium heading into the second leg, as they bid to win their second Champions League title a decade after their first.

‘The Postman’, however, hobbled off with what looked like a hamstring injury towards the end of the game. The injury, which came without contact from any AS FAR player, has to also be a concern for Bafana Bafana ahead of the 2026 Fifa World Cup finals.

“Let’s see what will happen with Aubrey, but probably we will lose him,” said Cardoso at the post match press conference.

“It comes from the strains and impact and effort that we were obliged to submit to in the last month.”

Masandawana played seven Betway Premiership games in 21 days, and their run of eight consecutive Premiership titles is in danger of ending after a 3-2 loss to TS Galaxy in their final league match.

Sundowns, however, will still win the title if Orlando Pirates fail to beat ORBIT College on Saturday. And even if they don’t, there is the chance to conquer Africa.

Sundowns missed some fantastic opportunities to extend their lead against AS FAR in the second half at Loftus, and will have to hope they do not pay the price at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.

“Most important is that we know we can compete at this level with the best teams,” added Cardoso.

“It was a wonderful game, we know we could have scored several times and the second goal would have been a more comfortable result.

Sundowns’ Cardoso – ‘We have to play for a victory’

“But it is clear we have to play for a victory in terms of scoring over there.”

With away goals counting double in the Champions League, if Sundowns can score in Rabat, AS FAR would have to score three times.

“It is an advantage the team needs to fight for. It will be a tough match, as this one was.”

There was a delay at the start of the second half at Loftus on Sunday, as the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system was not working. In the end, the game continued as both teams agreed to play without VAR.

“At the beginning of the second half it was difficult for both teams to pick up the pace. After that we played a beautiful second half. We fought for the goal that could give us … more comfort, but it was not possible. But it was a wonderful performance, we saw Sundowns at the highest level and it was beautiful to see.”