Memelodi Soundowns coach Miguel Cardoso noted that his team allowed the Arrows team to disrupt the game's tempo and subsequently made another costly defensive error during the first semi-final match of the MTN8 tournament.
The Brazilian team lost 1-0 at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday, putting them behind, a deficit they will need to overcome in the return match next week in Umlazi.
Despite Soundowns controlling significant portions of the game, they failed to convert possession into clear goal-scoring opportunities. The goal was scored by Junior Dion following a breakdown in defensive organization in the 38th minute.
Cardoso believes the flow of the match was also affected by the prolonged stoppage time caused by the Arrows goalkeeper's injury. He told SuperSport TV: 'I think we had a good start before their goalkeeper substitution, and that threw us off rhythm because the substitution took about seven minutes, and then we fell asleep before halftime.'
The Portuguese coach was particularly upset about how Soundowns conceded the goal, comparing it to the goal they allowed Kaizer Chiefs to score in a recent Betway Premiership match. Cardoso emphasized that his team needs to learn from such shortcomings to perform successfully on multiple fronts this season.
He added: 'It's a similar mistake to the one we made against Kaizer Chiefs when we were poorly positioned in the back line, and then we conceded a goal. And we have to learn from these things because we cannot dominate the game and suffer from the same problem.'
The loss means Soundowns must demonstrate a significantly improved attack in the second match if they hope to maintain hopes of winning the MTN8. However, Cardoso refused to view the result of the first match as the end of the contest. The Soundowns coach noted that his team still has 90 minutes to change the outcome and believes the contest remains within reach.
'But this is also a break in the match; we'll see what happens when we go to Arrows,' Cardoso added. The result gives Arrows a valuable advantage and allows Pitso Dladla's team to defend its home lead.
