JOHANNESBURG - Kaizer Chiefs defender Daniel Cardoso said on Thursday he and his teammates had already put the 3-1 defeat to rivals Orlando Pirates in the league behind them and were now looking to progress to the quarterfinals of the Nedbank Cup this weekend.
Amakhosi host National First Division outfit Stellenbosch FC in the last 16 of the competition at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, their alternative home ground.
“Look, we suffered a heavy blow last weekend, but we have already moved on,” said Cardoso, who has been part of a strong defence at Chiefs, one that had conceded the least number of goals in the league before shipping in three goals last weekend.
“We have another challenge on Saturday evening against Stellenbosch, and they are not an easy team to beat. The lower division teams always come up with a good fight. And it’s going to be an exciting game.
"We are down and that, but I think we have been playing well and trying to get our mental side back and going again. We can’t dwell in the past. We have seven games left in the league and its not over."
"Yes, we are turning our attention to the Nedbank this weekend because we obviously want a trophy as a team – and for our coach Steve.”
. @BernardParker and @D_cardoso_7 at the Nedbank Cup Media Open Day at the Kaizer Chiefs Village #NedbankCup #KCOneTeam pic.twitter.com/2Ynvwjt6Sb
— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) March 8, 2018
Asked if Chiefs were now putting all their eggs in one basket seeing that the championship might be a stretch too far with Mamelodi Sundowns leading them by eight points, Cardoso admitted that it made sense to try and go all out in the cup.
“Ya, our main focus will be the Nedbank now,” he said. “Eight points is quite a difference, but it’s not over, you know. Sundowns have CAF, the Nedbank and they’ve got the league to challenge for.
"I mean we will take it one step at a time, one game at a time. We are not going to focus on the league for now. For us to win the league we need Sundowns to lose two games and draw one and we have to win all seven.”