Mamelodi Sundowns got off to a great start in their group games, winning their first match 3-1 at home (Loftus Versfeld Stadium) against St Eloi Lupopo this afternoon.
“It was important to start the group stage with a victory,”
said Miguel Cardoso, explaining why the win was crucial.
“We all remember last year when I arrived here, there were two matches played with 1 point and it is tough when you lose matches that you have to supposedly win theoretically, especially at home. Those points can haunt you later in the competition, and it happened last year.”
The Brazilians opened the scoring early, with Nuno Santos finding the back of the net in just the 4th minute, assisted by new comer Miguel Reisinho. Lupopo equalized through Wanet in the 43rd minute, forcing the Brazilians to regroup at halftime.
“We had to manage the moment, we especially had to have a talk about what we needed to bring in the second half,”
coach Cardoso added, discussing the halftime talks.
The second half saw Sundowns push for a second goal, and they finally got it through a stunner by Marcelo Allende in the 60th minute. The Brazilians cruised from there, with Nuno Santos adding another in the 76th minute to complete a brace.
“I’m very happy with the starters and finishers of the match, the players who started and players who finished the match brought what they needed to bring,” the coach expressed, confident in his team’s performance.
Mamelodi Sundowns will now prepare to face former Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena’s team, MC Alger, away on Friday for their second group game.