Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso bemoaned his side’s late concession of a goal in their 1-1 home draw with Moroccan side FAR Rabat that denied them top spot in their CAF Champions League pool.

Instead Sundowns will now head into the quarter-finals as a second seed in the draw, and will face one of local rivals Orlando Pirates, Al Hilal of Sudan and Cardoso’s former side Esperance.

That also means they will play the second leg away from home, something coaches generally try to avoid.

“This was a very tough group from the very beginning and the situation was not comfortable. So, arriving here and going through the group stage I think it was obviously an accomplishment,” Cardoso said of his job in steering the team into the knockouts.

“Obviously, when we’re winning the game with 20 minutes to go and in total control of the game, we didn’t expect to get the draw, we expected to finish the game and win.

“It’s football and you need to pay attention to the details. I think it’s a little bit stupid goal the one that we suffered and, in the end, of course you don’t get first position.

“Champions League is like that. One mistake and it’s a goal and we pay for it. But let’s speak about what we going to do in the next moment. Let’s wait for the draw and see what will happen then,” Cardoso said.