Khuliso Mudau of Mamelodi Sundowns reacts during the CAF Champions League 2025/26 match between Al Hilal and Mamelodi Sundowns at Amahoro Stadium in Kigali, Rwanda on 30 January 2026 ©Julius Ntare/BackpagePix
Saturday Jan 31, 2026. 13:00
Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso said missed chances hurt his side in their 2-1 loss to Al Hilal S.C. in their CAF Champions League clash at the Stade Amahoro in Kigali, Rwanda on Friday.
The Brazilians failed to beat the Sudanese club last week, drawing 2-2 in Pretoria, before suffering their first loss of the 2025/26 Champions League campaign.
Sundowns now sit second in group C with five points from four games, three behind Al Hilal. They could fall further down the standings if Saint-Éloi Lupopo defeats MC Alger on Sunday.
Cardoso did not shy away from praising the quality of opponents in the post-match press conference, noting that the Al Hilal squad gave his defence a hard time.
“These kind of matches are very tricky because the level of the opponent is very high. It’s high quality players in the front in this team of Alilal. High, high quality, very physical, very quick, very strong on contact. And our defenders had a struggle to play against that,” Cardoso said.
The Portuguese tactician made it clear that his side’s lack of scoring led to their downfall. Sundowns controlled possession with over 70 per cent but only produced 11 shots, of which three were on target. They managed two big chances and registered two big missed chances.
“I think these two games with Al Hilal, and I had the chance to speak with the coach from Alilal, and the story is very simple. It’s the goals that we didn’t score in both matches that penalised us, obviously.”
Looking ahead, Cardoso emphasised that his side cannot return from the Democratic Republic of the Congo empty handed as they travel to face Saint-Éloi Lupopo in Lubumbashi on 6 February.
“We need to collect points. We cannot obviously risk nothing more than having the proper attitude in order to face that fixture in Congo. It will be a tough match, but tough moments for tough people. And we need to raise that attitude, get the proper energy, stay together and look forward.
“I think the lesson from these last two games is unfortunately the number of goals that we could not score and the easy goals that we suffered. And when you suffer such easy goals, you cannot suffer in two matches, four games, four goals. It’s not normal.”
Sundowns are next in action on Wednesday as they face Gomora United of the Motsepe Foundation Championship in the Nedbank Cup round of 32.
By Nic Gleeson