'The calendar beat us' - Cardoso on Downs' title blow

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has opened about the obstacles his face side faced in the second half of the Betway Premiership season.

The Brazilians ended their league campaign with a 3-2 loss to TS Galaxy on Tuesday, leaving the side three points clear of second-place Orlando Pirates, who have two games remaining.

The coach rued not winning and the opportunity to match the end of season point-record the club have enjoyed over the last three seasons, but looks at the bigger picture and welcomes criticism with open-arms.

READ | Sundowns' title hopes dented after shock loss

“I just want to tell them if we had won today we would have scored the number of points that would take us in one of the three best-ever campaigns on the club so I was really expecting to arrive at the end of the match win the match and be able to tell them that we eventually in the maximum would not be champions in the same points of the champion, let’s see what’s going to happen. It’s tough because I really wanted to be on that position," Cardoso told SuperSport TV.

“But as I said before and I repeat it was the calendar that beat us because we made eleven victories in a row since January and after we played Esperance, we drew twice in these seven matches that we lost today so it’s important that the fans look with honesty on the work of the boys.

“They can criticise coach it’s not a problem for me. I have big shoulders, but I know the fans will be on our side over the weekend that’s what we need for them to be on our side. These boys have been working all season very hard.

“We lost two times on penalties on two cups and we lost the Nedbank Cup on a match that we had to change players otherwise we would probably not be in the final of the Champions League so it’s hard, very hard for them I completely understand. But look at the big picture and let’s make a proper analysis when we finish everything."