Sundowns suffered a 3-1 defeat at Loftus Versfeld. It follows weeks after the shocking disappointing of going in the CAF Champions League preliminary qualifying rounds.
Having started the 2026/27 campaign as African champions, Ka Bo Yellow have now endured two major continental disappointments in a short space of time.
MIGUEL CARDOSO EXPLAINS MAMELODI SUNDOWNS DEFEAT
Their failure to qualify for the Champions League group stages after losing to Wiliete SC was particularly damaging. It was the first time in more than a decade that the club will miss out on the competition’s group phase.
Cardoso believes Sundowns created opportunities against USM Alger but failed to make them count, while their opponents were far more clinical.
“We made mistakes that were penalised by goals. There wasn’t much actions from USMA, the difference was the level of profit they had from what they created, compared to what we didn’t take from what we created,” he said.
The Portuguese tactician also pointed to the difficult playing conditions after heavy rain affected the pitch during the second half. However, he refused to use the weather as an excuse for the result.
“When I saw the conditions of the pitch in the second half. I knew it would be tough for us, it was not easy to play [with the rain]. It was catastrophic, but it’s not excuses. I think we had bad luck to get the sparkle to get us back in the match.
“We then went down by two goals on counter attack and then there’s the emotions that follow. We tried, we knew USMA had character as a North African team. It became tricky, congratulations to USMA, the players and the club.”
Sundowns now have a two-and-a-half-week break during the FIFA international window, with their continental commitments over for the remainder of the season.
Cardoso acknowledged the disappointment. He insisted that the team must use the setback as an opportunity to improve rather than dwell on what has happened.
“There’s always something to learn from negatives, I don’t see another way forward, we wanted to win this,” he said.
The Sundowns coach also recalled a previous encounter at Loftus Versfeld during his time with Esperance. Rain similarly affected the conditions and made it difficult for his opponents to perform at their best.
“You remember the match I played here a few years ago [with Esperance]. Sundowns dominated, and then there was the rain that delayed. It was not conditions for Sundowns to show the best they have.
“Results like this bring you down to the floor, but only one way to react, we have challenges in the short-term, that’s how big teams get out of it. It’s not disaster or catastrophe, there’s no losers in this. I won’t say who was the better team.”
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