Mamelodi Sundowns' Miguel Cardoso: Job done, despite Club World Cup exit
CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR Mamelodi Sundowns' Portuguese head coach Miguel Cardoso looks on ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Group F football match between South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns and Brazil's Fluminense at the Hard Rock stadium in Miami on June 25, 2025. Picture: Chandan Khanna/AFP
Image: Chandan Khanna/AFP
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso said Wednesday his team could return to South Africa with their heads held high despite exiting the Club World Cup in the group stage on Wednesday.
"Some teams came here and took nothing but Mamelodi Sundowns leave with a lot -– we took four points, we lost just one game and we drew one game in which it was clear we had the best chances," Cardoso said after the 0-0 draw with Fluminense in Miami.
That followed a 1-0 win against Ulsan HD of South Korea and a 4-3 loss to German giants Borussia Dortmund, as the South African champions finished third in Group F.
Their tally of four points was one fewer than Fluminense, and three behind group winners Dortmund.
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Mamelodi Sundowns' Global Impact at the Club World Cup
"For those who don't know international football so well, I invite them to go and study Fluminense, Dortmund and Ulsan a little, and understand the level Sundowns played at during this Club World Cup," Cardoso added.
"When we go out but set such a huge platform, you don't go through but you take a lot, you take prestige, you value your players, you make your club even more well known in the world."
He added: "I know we have a strange name but we have a strong capacity. We have been showing good things for many years and now everyone in the world will talk about Mamelodi Sundowns because people like positive emotions."
"People like going home having seen an exciting game and we gave amazing emotons to people who like football.
"We are not happy, we had a clear objective for this match, but I am very proud of the level my players performed at.
"We leave and go home with our heads up because we are much stronger than we were when we came here."
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