In what arguably gained Lucas Ribeiro Costa the attention of the world, Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso appears to have the last laugh after criticism of his usage of the Brazilian.
Cardoso copped criticism for playing Costa out out wide prior to the FIFA Club World Cup, with some pundits suggesting the 26-year-old was being played out of position.
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He caught the attention of the world with his goal against Borussia Dortmund, surging through on goal from his own half, before going on to give the South African giants the lead in what turned into a 4-3 loss.
After the strike was voted Goal of the Tournament, the Portuguese mentor says he was proud of the moments not visible on the highlights and the positioning of the playmaker.
"That goal was fantastic, that goal makes me so proud. There's a lot of people showing the goal aroud the world. The image you see is basically the end of the action from Lucas. That is outstanding, of course," Cardoso said on The Pitchside Podcast.
"But what happened before is unbelievable, because we were so high on the pitch, playing against so narrow low block from Borussia, we had no way to enter. We had to attract them, create space, we bring the ball back.
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Ribeiro is linked with an exit from the club after he was left out of the squad that faced Richards Bay FC in the MTN8 quarterfinal on Sunday amidst strong interest from clubs abroad.
