Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has explained why he benched Themba Zwane in the CAF Champions League final first leg against Pyramids.
The first leg of the anticipated clash saw the Brazilians unable to secure a definitive advantage on home soil, playing out a tense 1-1 draw.
Bafana Ba Style had initially put themselves in a strong position, with Lucas Ribeiro finding the back of the net to give them the lead.
Yet, the narrative took a dramatic turn in the very last minute, as Pyramids FC's Walid El Karti delivered a devastating blow, netting an equalizer that nullified Ribeiro's earlier effort.
This last-gasp header means Masandawana now face an even more significant challenge, as they must travel to Cairo with the sole objective of clinching an away victory to ultimately claim the prestigious Champions League trophy.
Zwane, who was expected to play a pivotal role for Sundowns was an unused substitute. Cardoso says he was “managing” Zwane just like all other players.
He believes those that played were the best ones for his side on the day.
WHY THEMBA ZWANE DIDN’T PLAY
“We manage Themba Zwane like all the other players. Everybody wanted to be part of this match for sure. The decisions we did was in order to keep the balance of the team. We thought [those] were the best ones,” explained Cardoso as quoted by FARPost.
“You know, it’s very beautiful football or very ugly at the same time. One second or 10 seconds in the last minute of the game changed the way you all think about us and the decisions that we made.
He continued, “We are in the judgment according to the results you get. And it was one play, one dangerous action they had in the box because second-half we controlled it, sometimes more with the ball in the first 25 minutes …. or organising ourselves to cope with the conditions that were on the pitch. We suffered on goal and that changed the opinion of everybody.”
