Holders Sundowns exited the competition on the away-goals rule after missing a host of chances in a 1-1 draw with Angolan side Wiliete in Pretoria on Friday.
It is not quite the earliest a defending champion has exited, as Ghana’s Hearts of Oak went out in the first round of their title defence in 2001, but it is a big blow to a club that had its sights firmly set on defending its title.
“Of course, it’s a failure. It’s a failure from everybody. We should embrace it, from the coaches, players and everybody,” Cardoso said.
“Let me state how this is a failure because I don’t want to give you the opportunity just to say that. I think we controlled the match, but we just failed to score the goals we had to score if you count the opportunities that we had inside the box.
“We started the game in a good dynamic way and created one situation after the other and we scored (through Tashreeq Matthews),” he added. “We could have scored more goals and I think it’s exactly out of the goals that we didn’t score that we should complain.”
Wiliete offered very little going forward but seized their moment when an errant pass from Cassius Mailula allowed Mabululu to score for the visitors, who finished runners-up in the Angolan league last season.
“It’s obviously difficult to express anything when you don’t qualify for the group stages and you cannot even proceed in the competition and defend the title,” Cardoso told SABC Sport.
“But we just can look at ourselves. I think besides one shot from the first half there is nothing from Wiliete in this match. The goal they score is a pass from our own striker. We had so many chances, we can only complain on us, it’s a very tough night, very difficult moment.”
Cardoso also believes his side did not react well to the equaliser.
“We can only complain on us on what we could have done, the game was so simple to close it but we let the energy not go in the right direction and after we suffered the goal still 40 minutes to play and we let emotions take control of us and not play in the most clever way,” he said, adding that labelling the exit a “disaster” would be too strong.
“It’s a very tough result, disaster is another thing in life,” he added. “The only way is to move forward. There is competitions to win, very quickly we have to turn over.
“Obviously it’s a tough one and fortunately a lot of losses we had, but nothing to complain. Just look forward and win.”
Sundowns are next in action on Tuesday when they host Marumo Gallants in the Carling Knockout.