Nuno Santos capped his comeback from injury with a goal against Polokwane City on Sunday.
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Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso was pleased with his team’s free-scoring performance against Polokwane City at Loftus Versfeld on Sunday, but stuck to his mantra that at this late stage of the season, only results matter.
Sundowns are in pole position to reclaim their Betway Premiership crown, with the 3-0 victory over Rise and Shine pushing Cardoso’s side five points clear of nearest rivals Orlando Pirates.
It was the first time the Brazilians scored more than one goal in a game in a month, since their match against Chippa United. During this period, Sundowns have maintained an 18-match unbeaten streak, which has seen them overtake Pirates and reach a consecutive CAF Champions League final.
But despite these impressive results, Cardoso has come under fire from some quarters over claims that his team is not representing the true Bafana Ba Style traditions. The Portuguese tactician has been adamant throughout that he is only interested in winning, and he stressed that fact again.
“We did well. The performance was quite clean throughout the match,” Cardoso said post-match.
“I think that at halftime, it was important to make some corrections because there was a lot of man-to-man marking. We had to move the ball very quickly from one side to the other. And those corrections made us better, of course, in the game.
“The boys understood them, understood the message, and took the game very seriously. It's good, obviously, to score goals, but it's more important to win.”
Iqraam Rayners, Tashreeq Matthews, and Nuno Santos were the goalscorers for Sundowns, but it was particularly the Portuguese star’s contribution that would have pleased Cardoso.
Santos has spent the past month on the sidelines, having not featured in Sundowns’ match-day squad since the clash against Chippa United in Gqeberha on April 3. He was introduced in the 69th minute to replace club captain Themba Zwane.
The former Benfica forward was full of running for the 30 minutes he spent on the park and capped his comeback with Sundowns’ third goal in the 85th minute, opening his body to slot the ball into the Polokwane City net.
Even more pleasing for Cardoso was that the build-up included another player making his comeback, Brayan Leon, with the Colombian striker delivering the final assist to Santos.
“Obviously, I wanted to spare some energy here and there, but also give game time to players who haven't played recently,” Cardoso said.
“It was important to manage. It's always important to manage the context. Every match has a context that has to do with what we had before and what we have ahead, of course.
“But securing the results one after the other is the most important thing. So, I am very happy because we saw players — for example, those who sometimes don't play — enter the game very well. It's obviously good to have Brayan and Nuno back.”
Sundowns have three Betway Premiership matches remaining, with their next clash against Kaizer Chiefs on Wednesday.