Sundowns sealed their place in the last eight of the competition with a 2-0 victory over MC Alger in their Group C encounter on Saturday, but the Portuguese tactician wasted little time in shifting attention to Wednesday's clash against the Buccaneers at FNB Stadium.

With Pirates sitting six points clear at the top of the standings - and Sundowns holding a game in hand - Cardoso acknowledged the significance of the upcoming fixture in the domestic title race.

He was pleased with the commitment and focus his side showed at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, and challenged his players to bring the same mentality against league leaders Pirates.

"Let's enjoy the pleasure of this victory and enjoy that we are among the best ones on the continent again in the knockout stages," Cardoso said during the post-match press conference.

"We have tough questions ahead, but they are beautiful ones. We are excited about the performance of the boys; it was beautiful to see how committed they were."

Cardoso also pointed to his players' understanding of the game as a key factor in their performance.

"I think I was seated on the bench more than usual because there are moments where there is flow on the pitch and the boys understood what they had to do," he added.

Colombian forward Brayan León was instrumental in Sundowns' progression, scoring both goals against the Algerian outfit, and Cardoso will hope the striker can once again influence proceedings when Sundowns face Pirates as they look to reduce the gap at the top of the Betway Premiership table.

Despite the positive result, Cardoso cautioned against overreaction to one performance.

"We just won one match; that doesn't mean we've become the best team in the world. If we didn't win, we would have been the worst team," he said.

"Sometimes the coaches, players and analysis change a lot because of one match, but I think we made a hell of a match."

He concluded by stressing that while tactical preparation is vital, mentality often proves decisive in big encounters.

"You can't win without tactics or strategy, but it's the emotions that make the difference," Cardoso explained.

"Today we were strong as a collective in bringing the right emotions and staying focused throughout the match."

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