Arthur Sales opened the scoring at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on 32 minutes, but Khaya Mfecane ensured a share of the spoils for the Chilli Boys with his equaliser after 65 minutes.
Cardoso says Downs had plenty of chances to add to the scoreline and was disappointed with the way they conceded.
Speaking after the match, the Downs boss told SuperSport: "The outcome is obviously not the best and I also think we didn't start the match well. When you are playing against these types of teams you need to have the best attitude inside the pitch.
"What we controlled is the ball possession and the capacity to play in the spaces but we didn't put the proper intensity, to escape from the duels. We made it a much more physical game rather than the game that we had to play."
Cardoso added that his team was punished for giving the ball away too easily.
"Even when we were winning at half-time, I was not happy. We started better in the second half but we could not keep the lead and we suffered a goal out of nothing, which prompted the energy that Chippa was looking for," he explained.
"From then on, everybody saw a lot of players going to the ground and it was difficult to keep the pace and we were penalised by what we didn't do in the first half."
Mamelodi Sundowns claimed a deserved 2-0 victory over AmaZulu FC in their Betway Premiership clash at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, with second-half strikes from Iqraam Rayners and Tashreeq Matthews.
Marumo Gallants scored a dramatic winner deep into stoppage-time to clinch a 2-1 victory against Orlando Pirates in their Betway Premiership clash at the Petrus Molemela Stadium on Tuesday.
Kaizer Chiefs will look to build on their strong start to the 2025/26 Betway Premiership when they host Polokwane City at the FNB Stadium on Wednesday evening.
The opening weekend of the 2025/26 Betway Premiership campaign did not disappoint in terms of drama, surprises, and talking points.
