Tashreeq Matthews blamed by Mamelodi Sundowns fans for Club World Cup exit
BIG MISS Sundowns' South African forward Tashreeq Matthews reacts during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Group F football match against Brazil's Fluminense at the Hard Rock stadium in Miami on June 25, 2025. Picture: Chandan Khanna/AFP
Though Mamelodi Sundowns have mostly been commended for their strong showing at the Club World Cup despite their exit as the group stages concluded, there are a number of fans who were left annoyed with one player in particular.
That player is Sundowns midfielder Tashreeq Matthews, who missed a great chance to score in his side's final Group F encounter with Brazilian side Fluminense in the first half.
Left one-on-one with Fluminense keeper Fabio, Matthews struck his shot straight at the shot-stopper.
Though it was still early in the game, it would turn out to be the best chance for Sundowns to score. Had Matthews scored, Sundowns would have advanced to the next stage of the competition as the match ended goalless.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Citizen
36 minutes ago
- The Citizen
Boks are back in action — against dangerous Barbarians
There's also plenty to look forward to at the Club World Cup, with Lionel Messi's team up against PSG. Neethling Fouche, who'll play his first Springbok game on Saturday, will be hoping the rain stops ahead of the match against the Barbarians in Cape Town. Picture: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images The Springboks are finally back in action, in a season-opener against the Barbarians, while there's still plenty happening at the Club World Cup in the USA. What a thrilling weekend of rugby and football awaits. Here then are our top three picks of the weekend. Rugby Boks v Barbarians An exciting, but well-balanced Springboks side takes on the Barbarians in Cape Town on Saturday in what promises to be a thrilling match. Let's just hope the weather plays along and it's not pouring with rain. The first performance of a new season is always a bit rusty, while the Barbarians will go into the game having not had too many training sessions together, while they'll always look to play attacking rugby. It's anyone's guess then what we'll see from both. All eyes though will be on the Boks and a number of individuals who'll look to make a big impression. Prediction: Boks by 20 Benfica v Chelsea Chelsea had a mixed campaign in the group stages of the Fifa Club World Cup. Enzo Maresca's side comfortably beat LAFC and Esperance, but they were also shocked 3-1 by Brazilian side Flamengo. The Blues look to have been fortunate in that even though they ended up as Group D runners-up, they avoided a last 16 clash with Bayern Munich. This is because Benfica beat Bayern 1-0 to top Group C. The Portuguese giants will certainly be dangerous opponents for Chelsea in this last-16 tie on Saturday. But the Blues have to be slight favourites to progress to the quarterfinals. Prediction: Benfica 1 Chelsea 2 Inter Miami v PSG Lionel Messi's Inter Miami stunned European side Porto in the group stages, but were denied top spot in Group A when they conceded two late goals to draw with Palmeiras. This has put them in the sights of European champions Paris St Germain, Messi's former club and a team enjoying a fantastic season under Luis Enrique. PSG did suffer a surprise loss to Brazil's Botafogo in the group stages but they are unlikely to let that happen again, even against Messi's generational talent. The teams meet in a last-16 clash on Sunday. Prediction: Inter Miami 1 PSG 4

IOL News
an hour ago
- IOL News
Miguel Cardoso: Mamelodi Sundowns played beautifully at Fifa Club World Cup
Miguel Cardoso addresses his Mamelodi Sundowns team during a water break in the Fluminense clash. Photo: BackpagePix Image: BackpagePix Despite their early exit from the Fifa Club World Cup, Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso said it was 'absolutely marvellous' to witness his players perform at the highest level against Brazilian giants Fluminense. Sundowns shocked everyone by holding the highly fancied Fluminense to a goalless draw in Wednesday's Club World Cup Group F clash at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. This outcome meant that Sundowns' ambitious stint at the Club World Cup came to an end, as the South African champions needed a victory to advance past the group stage. After the match, Cardoso reflected on the experience of his players competing against such esteemed opposition. He expressed pride in his team's performance in challenging match conditions. 'Everybody had the chance to watch 22 players playing at the highest level. It was easy to understand the level at which my players played. That was something absolutely marvellous to see,' said Cardoso. 'Some teams came here and took nothing, but Mamelodi Sundowns leave with a lot – we took four points, we lost just one game and we drew one game in which it was clear we had the best chances. 'For those who don't know international football so well, I invite them to go and study Fluminense, Dortmund and Ulsan a little, and understand the level Sundowns played at during this Club World Cup. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading 'When we go out but set such a huge platform, you don't go through, but you take a lot: you take prestige, you value your players, you make your club even more well-known in the world.' Reflecting on his tenure at the club over the months prior, the Portuguese mentor highlighted significant achievements, including an impressive league title win that set records, albeit falling short of the CAF Champions League title after a decade-long absence from the final. 'We didn't win the Champions League, but we were back for the first time in the final in 10 years (which they lost to Egyptian club Pyramids FC),' he said. 'We will be strong going back there; those matches in the final, we were not at the level we needed to be.' Cardoso remained optimistic about the journey ahead, asserting that the groundwork laid during this tournament will eventually bear fruit in the years to come. 'That's why when we came here. We were motivated to prove ourselves,' he explained. 'We played beautifully, but came out with nothing because the other teams are strong.' Miguel Cardoso Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso. Photo: AFP Image: AFP Cardoso noted the team's progress in the Club World Cup, with the past two campaigns yielding no points. This time around, they secured four points over three matches – a reflection of growth and potential. 'Can we do more? It's always possible to do more, but we can sleep in peace tonight; we are proud of the players, the staff, and everyone. Recognition achieved. In 10 years, we will understand what we did today,' he said with pride. Looking forward, he pledged an unwavering commitment to the club's ambitions, aspiring to elevate their standards further. 'Let's hope in 10 years, we look back and say we were weaker that time; we have to be better, we have to grow. Our standards will increase. I will oblige to improve as long as I am in this club,' Cardoso concluded. The Brazilians will now enjoy a brief respite before turning their focus to pre-season preparations for the 2025/26 season, with the potential for Cardoso to bolster his squad as they aim for new challenges.


The South African
2 hours ago
- The South African
Could this player be the biggest Springbok surprise of 2025?
When many Springbok fans were making predictions about the possible make up of the squad for 2025, not many predicted the call up of former Cheetahs hooker Marnus van der Merwe. However, as the Springbok coaches considered who could add much-needed depth at hooker, they simply could not ignore the consistently impactful performances of Van der Merwe for Welsh club Scarlets. The 28-year-old, who was a member of the Junior Springbok training squad in 2017, will now feature off the bench against the Barbarians this Saturday, realising a dream that he didn't think would come into reality so quickly. 'I didn't think it would happen this fast,' said Van der Merwe. 'I thought it would probably take another year or so, so hopefully I can grab the opportunity with both hands. 'I told my wife when we went over to Wales that I have a two-year plan to work my way into the Bok set-up, and if it doesn't happen, we'll make another plan. Obviously being here now means that we've had to move everything forward.' By all accounts, Van der Merwe boasts all the qualities that could see him enjoy the most unexpected breakthrough season for the Springboks, while providing much-needed back up cover and competition to Bongi Mbonambi and Malcolm Marx. Looking ahead to making his first appearance for the Springboks against a quality Barbarians outfit, Van der Merwe said he's approaching it as a Test match. 'I want to go out there and give everything, just as I do every week for my club,' he said. 'One thing's for certain, it's tough to get here and even harder to stay here, so I plan to give my best.' Commenting on what has stood out for him in the Springbok team, he said: 'It's the way the team does things and the structure within the system. The way Tony (Brown) and Jerry (Flannery – Springbok assistant coaches) see the game has also taught me a lot about how to improve my rugby, and it's fantastic how every coach gives input in their areas of expertise. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.