Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso is proving to be a master tactician by focusing on player development.Since Cardoso’s arrival, Lucas Ribeiro has transformed into an exceptional player, contributing six goals and four assists in just 12 matches. According to Ribeiro, the key improvement under Cardoso’s guidance hasn’t been his attacking abilities but his defensive responsibilities. Cardoso himself commented on this, saying, “I believe Lucas can reach even higher levels in the future. The Lucas we see now is much more committed to the defensive process, and that also brings out more from him,”
Mamelodi Sundowns dealt a major blow to Orlando Pirates’ Betway Premiership title hopes with a dominant 4-1 victory. While the condition of the pitch at Loftus Versfeld was notably poor, Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro didn’t use it as an excuse.
Grant Kekana opened the scoring with a header, followed by two goals from Ribeiro and a Teboho Mokoena strike, giving Sundowns a commanding nine-point lead at the top of the league. However, the pitch’s poor state was a concern. Riveiro commented, “Whatever I say about the pitch will become a headline, and I don’t want to be seen as justifying our loss due to the field conditions because Sundowns played on the same field.”
He continued, “Sundowns found a way to win despite the conditions. Yes, the pitch wasn’t ideal for either team, and it could have caused injuries. But let me be clear, the field wasn’t the reason for our defeat. It was a challenging game for both sides.”
Riveiro concluded, “It’s unfortunate that the match was played on such a poor surface as it affected the quality of the game, the football, and the risk of injury to the players. Still, we shouldn’t use the pitch as an excuse for our performance.”
