Mamelodi Sundowns Coach Miguel Cardoso Slams Dull-witted Players

In the wake of his team's defeat to Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso weighed in with a scathing critique of his team's performance following their 'brainless' first-half display at the FNB Stadium on Saturday. Cardoso shared snippets of his half-time talk with the media in a post-match interview.

He said: 'We played until half-time with heart but no brain the brain stayed in the locker room after the start of the match.'

Some of the fallout from Sundowns' defeat was Cardoso's palpable frustration. When referee Luxolo Badi blew the final whistle, Cardoso stormed down the tunnel, although he didn't go too far as he was on hand for the pitch-side TV interview shortly afterwards. Just before the TV interviews started, Cardoso was spotted talking to his opposite number.

At the end of the match, however, the victorious Pirates coach, Jose Riveiro, basking in the glory of his FNB conquest, walked over to shake hands with the Sundowns camp. Only assistant coach Steve Komphela was on hand to greet him. Komphela seemed baffled by Cardoso's absence as he looked around for him.

Some were still making their way into Kaizer Chiefs' traditional home ground when match-day hosts Pirates scored four minutes into the match. Sundowns were still pondering what had hit them when they found themselves 0-2 down a minute later.