Sundowns were held to a 1-1 draw by Chiefs at Loftus Versfeld on Wednesday night, a result that suddenly gives Orlando Pirates fresh hope in the race for the championship.
Kabo Yellow had entered the match knowing victory would place massive pressure on Pirates, but instead the gap at the top has tightened again heading into the final stretch of the season.
Also read: Sundowns star sends message to injured Mduduzi Shabalala
MAMELODI SUNDOWNS COACH MIGUEL CARDOSO UNHAPPY WITH OFFICIATING
The Portuguese coach spent large parts of his post-match interview venting his frustration at the standard of officiating.
Cardoso referenced the recent Soweto derby and the physical nature of matches in South African football, insisting referees need to offer more protection to players.
“It’s not the football we want to be played and to be officiated,” Cardoso said to SuperSport TV. “The first 20 minutes was just a fight and kicking asses, looking for the player and the man, kicking and kicking.”
The Sundowns coach also spoke about injuries suffered by players and questioned whether enough was being done by officials to control matches properly.
“Now we have players in the hospital, shoulders broken, arm broken, I mean, who must control this? Control matches in a proper way!” he said.
Also read: Chippa United fire third coach this season
“The refs need to prepare themselves, do their homework, so they know what they are coming into, and control the game,” the Sundowns tactician added.
TITLE RACE BACK ALIVE
Chiefs had stunned the home crowd when Flavio Silva opened the scoring in the first half before Brayan Leon rescued Sundowns with an equaliser after halftime.
The situation became even more difficult for the defending champions when Jayden Adams received his second yellow card and was sent off late in the game.
Despite pushing for a winner, Sundowns could not find another goal and were forced to settle for a draw that may prove costly in the title race.
Cardoso admitted afterwards that his side now simply needs to focus on winning the remaining matches.
“I think we did what we had to do, we tried to play football but it’s very difficult,” he said.
“The result is… we win our next matches and see what happens, that’s it,” the Sundowns mentor concluded.