The Brazilians secured their second African crown on Sunday night after holding Morocco's AS FAR to a 1-1 draw at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, sealing a 2-1 aggregate victory in the CAF Champions League final.

Despite the historic achievement, Cardoso quickly shifted focus to the challenges his side endured throughout the closing stages of the campaign.

"It is important that if South Africa is to have one team to win again soon, some dynamics have to change, to provide the right conditions," said Cardoso during his post-match interview

"Today (Sunday) we had three potential Bafana Bafana players who could not play - Thapelo Morena, Aubrey Modiba and Bathusi Aubaas.

"The last month exposed something not normal. They could have been very useful to us. It is time the people in charge of South African football think about what they want in terms of the development of football in the country."

Sundowns navigated a punishing schedule in the final stretch of the season, playing seven matches in just 21 days while competing for both domestic and continental honours.

Their demanding run ultimately saw them surrender the Betway Premiership title to Orlando Pirates, who ended Sundowns' dominance by clinching the league crown on the final day of the season.

Cardoso felt the physical toll of the campaign was evident in the final, particularly with key players sidelined through injury. Morena, Modiba and Aubaas all missed the decisive clash in Rabat, with Modiba suffering a hamstring injury during the first leg.

Even so, Sundowns showed resilience in a hostile atmosphere against a determined AS FAR side. The Moroccan outfit were awarded two penalties via VAR, with captain Mohamed Hrimat converting the first to revive hopes of a comeback.

However, Teboho Mokoena produced a stunning strike on the stroke of halftime to restore Sundowns' control of the tie and leave the home side needing two more goals to overturn the deficit.

AS FAR threatened again when they received a second penalty in the latter stages, but Ronwen Williams delivered a vital save to protect Sundowns' aggregate lead and secure a famous victory for the Tshwane giants.

The triumph also marked redemption for Cardoso after suffering heartbreak in last season's final against Pyramids, while it was his first CAF Champions League success after losing in his previous two appearances in the final.

Mamelodi Sundowns refocus on Betway Premiership battle as Richards Bay loom