Miguel Cardoso: Sundowns missed too many chances against Al Hilal

In a rare continental night fixture in Tshwane, the Brazilians dominated possession and dictated proceedings for long spells, but defensive lapses proved costly as the Sudanese giants capitalised clinically to snatch a valuable away point.

Omer Taha was Al Hilal's hero, netting twice to cancel out goals from Arthur Sales and captain Teboho Mokoena, as Sundowns' attacking fluency went unrewarded.

Despite controlling the tempo and creating a host of clear-cut chances, Sundowns failed to assert a decisive advantage. Their inability to convert dominance into goals allowed the visitors to stay in the contest and punish moments of vulnerability at the back.

Al Hilal, by contrast, made the most of their limited forays forward, exposing Sundowns' defensive naivety in crucial moments.

Head coach Miguel Cardoso admitted his side only had themselves to blame, stressing that a lack of ruthlessness at this level of competition is often punished.

"Unfortunately we can only complain about ourselves. We created so many chances and could not score," Cardoso told SABC Sport after the match.

"I think they entered our box two times and scored. These were very naïve situations from our defence. At this level of football, you can't make these mistakes."

The Portuguese mentor insisted Sundowns were the superior side throughout but conceded that dominance counts for little without efficiency in both penalty areas.

"We had more than enough chances to finish this game off. We outplayed them, had control and created enough to get a victory, but we must be clinical," he added.

Sundowns remain top of Group C with five points after three matches, level with Al Hilal. FC St Eloi Lupopo and MC Alger trail on one point each and meet in their round-three fixture.

With three matches still to play, Cardoso remains confident of progression.

"Of course we are still top. Nobody can go in front of us," he said.