{"id":3629,"date":"2025-04-25T16:20:53","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T14:20:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/?p=3629"},"modified":"2026-03-12T10:41:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T08:41:14","slug":"mamelodi-sundowns-unshaken-by-cairo-cauldron-says-coach-miguel-cardoso","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/mamelodi-sundowns-unshaken-by-cairo-cauldron-says-coach-miguel-cardoso\/","title":{"rendered":"Mamelodi Sundowns Unshaken by Cairo Cauldron, Says Coach Miguel Cardoso"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso is approaching their crucial CAF Champions League semi-final second leg against Al Ahly with bold confidence, insisting that the electric atmosphere expected at the Cairo International Stadium will not rattle his players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Brazilians are set to face the reigning African champions in front of 75,000 passionate fans on Friday night in a winner-takes-all clash. The victor will book a place in the final against either Orlando Pirates or Pyramids. But despite the intimidating prospect of a sold-out Egyptian crowd, Cardoso remains calm and assured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-miguel-cardoso-embraces-the-big-stage\"><strong>Miguel<\/strong> <strong>Cardoso Embraces the Big Stage<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeslive.co.za\/sport\/soccer\/2025-04-25-sundowns-have-no-fear-against-al-ahly-in-cairo-says-coach-miguel-cardoso\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cardoso<\/a>, who spoke to the media at the stadium ahead of the clash, said his team is excited by the challenge and unfazed by the noise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe thrive in moments like this,\u201d he said. \u201cThis kind of atmosphere brings pleasure \u2014 I played here last season with a full stadium, and we embraced it. We want to come with energy, not fear. We hope to quieten the crowd that will undoubtedly whistle at us. These are the moments we live for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-4072234433\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-mamelodi-sundowns-blocking-out-the-noise\"><strong>Mamelodi Sundowns Blocking Out the Noise<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>He acknowledged the intensity of the environment but stressed there is no fear, only focus. \u201cThe stadium will be buzzing, but it\u2019s not violent. It\u2019s going to be an incredible experience. When you&#8217;re immersed in your craft \u2014 whether writing or coaching \u2014 you enter a zone where nothing else matters. It\u2019s the same for players; once the match starts, the crowd fades away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udc46 \ud83c\udf99\ufe0f MD-1 : <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Masandawana?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@Masandawana<\/a> head coach Miguel Cardoso looks to the all important CAFCL semifinal vs <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AlAhly?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@AlAhly<\/a> tomorrow at the Cairo International stadium \ud83c\udfdf\ufe0f. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/TotalEnergiesCAFCL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#TotalEnergiesCAFCL<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ConnectingTheAfricanGame?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#ConnectingTheAfricanGame<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/wDyZdIppLx\">pic.twitter.com\/wDyZdIppLx<\/a><\/p>&mdash; African Football Connect\ud83c\udf99\ufe0f (@AFC_2025) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AFC_2025\/status\/1915395751070363782?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">April 24, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-khoza-looks-forward-to-the-challenge\"><strong>Khoza Looks Forward to the Challenge<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Cardoso was joined at the press conference by 22-year-old defender Malibongwe Khoza, who may be making his first appearance in such a high-stakes environment. Despite the pressure, Khoza is eager to seize the opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy teammates told me to expect boos and whistles, but also said it\u2019s something to embrace,\u201d Khoza explained. \u201cIt\u2019s a dream to play in a packed stadium. The senior players have encouraged me not to panic, and honestly, I don\u2019t feel any pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-3412151344\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cardoso-reflects-on-atmosphere-across-africa\"><strong>Cardoso Reflects on Atmosphere Across Africa<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Cardoso also reflected on his experience in other African countries, highlighting the passion of supporters across the continent. He admitted to misjudging the turnout at Loftus Versfeld during the first leg, but emphasised that he values playing in full stadiums \u2014 whether at home or away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn Tunisia, Morocco, or back home \u2014 full stadiums are what we love,\u201d he said. \u201cLast weekend at Loftus, I thought the crowd wasn\u2019t great at first, but it filled up later. This second leg is the final chapter of the semi-final story. We must play our football and focus on the small details \u2014 that\u2019s what will determine the result.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-eyes-on-the-final\"><strong>Eyes on the Final<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With a place in the Champions League final on the line, Sundowns know what\u2019s at stake. But under Cardoso\u2019s guidance, fear is not part of the game plan. Instead, they\u2019ll take to the pitch in Cairo with belief, purpose, and a desire to make history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Also read<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/gautengs-caf-champions-league-glory\/\">Gauteng\u2019s CAF Champions League Glory Shines a Spotlight on Sports Tourism<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso is approaching their crucial CAF Champions League semi-final second leg against Al Ahly with bold confidence, insisting that the electric atmosphere expected at the Cairo International Stadium will not rattle his players. The Brazilians are set to face the reigning African champions in front of 75,000 passionate fans on<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":3635,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso is approaching their crucial CAF Champions League semi-final second leg against Al Ahly with bold confidence,...","footnotes":""},"categories":[56,64],"tags":[633,374,360,288],"class_list":{"0":"post-3629","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"category-sports-news","9":"tag-caf-champions-league","10":"tag-cafcl","11":"tag-mamelodi-sundowns","12":"tag-soccer"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3629","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3629"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3629\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3636,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3629\/revisions\/3636"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3629"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3629"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}