Cardoso Urges Sundowns: ‘We Need to Steer Clear of Conceding Two Goals Each Game’ Following Unsteady Start

Mamelodi Sundowns’ head coach, Miguel Cardoso, is concerned about the goals his team has allowed in their first two matches of the 2026/27 season.

The Brazilians have started the new season positively, winning both games. They commenced with a 3-2 win over Polokwane City in the MTN8 quarter-finals and followed it up with another 3-2 victory against TS Galaxy in their Betway Premiership opener at Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday.

Despite achieving full points, Sundowns have conceded four goals in these two matches, letting in two goals in each game.

“To address your concern, conceding two goals is simply unacceptable; we cannot allow that against Galaxy, especially since we faced a similar situation last week,” Cardoso stated.

“It’s quite unusual for us to concede two goals. Unfortunately, in the last two matches, this issue has arisen—two shots led to two goals. This is not a situation that we are willing to accept. We must fix this as a team, ensuring we exhibit the right behavior in our defensive tactics, whether we are pressing high or sitting back, as well as during set pieces. Each player must improve to decrease goal concessions, as we can’t depend on scoring three goals every game.”

“Conceding two goals significantly increases our chances of dropping points, which we cannot afford; consistently losing points will lead to difficulties. However, with two matches played and two wins achieved, we need to leverage that momentum, build on our success and points, and stabilize our performances. We must introduce players who can impact the game. It’s essential for everyone to recognize that the team has experienced significant departures and losses.”

Cardoso, whose team is set to face Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium this Saturday, remarked, “Replacing a player of Keano’s caliber is exceedingly challenging. The same goes for filling Jayden’s void.

“Current players are starting to step up; Nuno finds himself in a similar situation, as he missed nearly the entire preseason due to injury. Therefore, we are still in the process of integrating players. I view this as a solid foundation for our development, but we must prioritize growth. It’s beneficial to improve while securing positive outcomes, yet we need to elevate our performance swiftly to solidify our habits, fortify our team, and minimize goal concessions.”