That was his third appearance in the final in a row but his first win, having lost in the decider with Espérance Tunis in 2023/24 and Sundowns in 2024/25. It might have been relief more than anything to lift the trophy.
The Portuguese coach has an excellent record in the elite African competition, though, having lost only four of his 30 games across both clubs.
One of those defeats came with Espérance against Al Ahly in the second leg of the 2023/24 final, while he also lost away at Pyramids in the second leg of the decider the following year as Sundowns went down 2-1.
His two other defeats came away at Sudanese side Al Hilal in the group stage last season and at Stade Malien in the second leg of their quarter-final, though a big lead from the first leg meant Sundowns progressed.
Cardoso has therefore never lost a home Champions League tie, with his 15 matches producing 10 wins and five draws.
Away from home, he has five wins in 15 games, with six draws and those four defeats.
He will be hoping not to add to that number in the loss column when his side travel to Angolan outfit Wiliete for their second-round, first-leg tie on Sunday.
With Sundowns specifically, his record at home is W7 D3, while away it is W2 D5 L3.
He has won all four of his preliminary-round ties with both clubs, scoring 19 goals and conceding only twice.
Cardoso’s record in the group stage across both clubs is W4 D3 L1, while in the knockout rounds that follow, the business end of the competition, it reads W7 D8 L3.
His biggest win in the competition was an 8-0 success for Espérance against Dekedaha FC from Somalia, while with Sundowns it is a 5-1 victory over Remo Stars from Nigeria in their second-round, first-leg tie last season.
His biggest defeat is the 2-0 loss at Stade Malien.
In all, his sides have scored 44 goals across the 30 games and conceded only 16.