Cardoso shifts focus to Magesi, Pyramids after clinching the league

Having clinched the Betway Premiership with a match to spare has given Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso enough time to start preparing for their CAF Champions League final against Pyramids on May 24.

Sundowns secured a record eighth successive league title after a 3-0 win over Chippa United at Buffalo City Stadium in East London on Wednesday.

The win was secured through a goal from Iqraam Rayners and a brace by Arthur Sales to reach an unassailable lead of 70 points from 27 matches. They will play their last game against Magesi at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Sunday (5.30pm), where they will be crowned champions.

With the first leg of the Champions League final at Loftus Versfeld on May 24, Cardoso said he is already thinking about that game.

“I will start thinking about it now, yeah, I will,” Cardoso told the media after the match.

"[But] it doesn't mean that we will not prepare to win our next match [against Magesi]. Of course, we will because Magesi have been doing well in their last games, so we need to take care of them because we want to finish the league in the best way in front of our fans.

“But I will now obviously start planning for Pyramids. I know that my people are working on it because that's the way we prepare. The way they are also working on the Club World Cup.

“But about the Club World Cup, I don't worry at all. I have time to start watching something about Pyramids, but let's keep an eye on ourselves because that's also the most important thing.”

Cardoso, who took over Downs in December, guided the club to 17 wins, drew once and lost once in 19 league matches he has been in charge of. He lauded his players' commitment throughout the campaign.

“I think that the values that we developed in the locker room, the way we overcame the worst moments and we developed a good sense of love, of brotherhood among us,” he said.

“The spirit has been a wonderful pleasure to experience in these months. I think that when I arrived it was clear that there was something that needed to change, mostly the energy.

“It had nothing to do with the work of the previous coaches, who I respect so much because it was not a matter of results, it was a matter of atmosphere.”

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