Miguel Cardoso Gets Off to a Winning Start at Mamelodi Sundowns

• New Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso celebrated a debut victory after Masandawana beat Raja Casablanca 1-0 in a cagey affair
• The PSL champions squeezed out their first victory in the CAF Champions League after two successive draws in the 2024/2025 campaign
• Sundowns fans reacted on social media by praising goal scorer Iqraam Rayners and captain Ronwen Williams

Portuguese coach Miguel Cardoso got his Mamelodi Sundowns tenure off to a winning start after their 1-0 victory over Raja Casablanca on Sunday, 15 December 2024.

Striker Iqraam Rayners scored the match's only goal in the 65th minute, while Sundowns failed to impress at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium.

Cardoso, who replaced Manqoba Mngqithi on Tuesday, 10 December, will be pleased to have three points, although his side were less than impressive.

Iqraam Rayners lights up a dull affair

Sundowns confirmed their victory on Twitter(X):

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Throughout the match, Sundowns retained a majority of possession yet failed to produce much danger to the Moroccan defence.

Sundowns played a majority of their football through the middle despite having options out wide, which frustrated Cardoso and Masandawana fans.

Bafana Bafana skipper Ronwen Williams, nominated for top CAF awards, produced a defence-splitting pass that helped set up Rayners for his well-placed finish in the 65th minute.

Sundowns survive goal scares

After the goal, the match somewhat came to life, and Raja found the back of the net twice, but both goals were rightfully ruled offside.

Raja was visibly upset throughout the match, and at the final whistle, they were outraged after a last-minute goal was disallowed offside.

While the call might have been tight, a fan running on the pitch disrupted the last-minute strike to place a South African flag on Williams in the Sundowns goal.

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Fans praise Sundowns duo

Sundowns fans reacted on social media by praising Rayners and Williams for their contributions to Cardoso's debut victory

theonlydothraki loved the goal:

"What an assist! Keep playing, boys!!!!!!"

Beverly01842612 is a fan of Rayners:

"Rayners for the CAF golden boot."

TheBlack_iam praised Williams:

"That pass from Ronza!"

FabioTR555 admires Rayners:

"Rayners, you beauty!"

Calvinatorking is not impressed:

"Honestly, I have not enjoyed watching Sundowns play in a very long time."

Mamelodi Sundowns star is a target for a European club

As reported by Briefly News, Mamelodi Sundowns striker Iqraam Rayners has attracted interest from Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers.

The in-form Bafana Bafana striker has caught the eye of Rangers, who were reportedly interested in his services before he joined Sundowns from Stellenbosch FC at the start of the 2024/2025 season.

Source: Briefly News