JOHANNESBURG -- Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso paid tribute to striker Brayan Léon Muñiz's rapid adjustment to African football after the Colombian scored back-to-back braces to clinch crucial wins over MC Alger and Orlando Pirates.
Sundowns needed a home win on Saturday against MC Alger -- coached by their former boss, Rhulani Mokwena -- to avoid an embarrassing CAF Champions League group stage exit after a series of poor results. León, a January signing from Independiente Medellín, scored both goals in a 2-0 win at Loftus Versfeld.
Next, Sundowns took a short trip to face Orlando Pirates at FNB Stadium in the Betway Premiership on Wednesday. The Brazilians have won the last eight league titles, but Pirates sit first in this season's standings.
A 2-1 win - thanks to two first half goals from León - closed the gap at the top of the table to three points, with Sundowns holding a game in hand over Pirates.
"The adaptation of Brayan, Nuno [Santos], Miguel [Reisinho] -- the foreign players that have arrived this season -- have been very good because of the group we have, the club we have, the work we do together, obviously, to get them - as quickly as possible - identified with the way we want to play," Cardoso told the media after the Pirates win.
"The boys that were here already [had] to absorb the characteristics of the players that arrived. There needs to be a fusion of the characteristics of the players that arrive and the way we play.
"That's what we've been doing. Obviously; him scoring goals gives energy. He scored goals in the first friendly match that he played when we were in the preparation [to return after the Africa Cup of Nations]."
Six goals in seven competitive games from León -- four from three in the league and two from four in the Champions League -- have given the Portuguese head coach and Danish sporting director Flemming Berg a major boost at a time when both simply could not afford any more setbacks.
While Berg and Cardoso have both faced criticism from Sundowns fans for the team's style of play, it would be difficult for even the most vocal naysayers not to credit them for an output of 0.86 goals per game from a striker who has a career record of 0.24.
More important still has been León's decisiveness in must-win games. Effectively, the league title race is back in Sundowns' hands, and they are heavy favourites to win their Champions League quarter-final against Stade Malien.
It has been a remarkable turnaround for Cardoso, who has faced constant mid-season speculation regarding a potential exit. The 53-year-old himself alluded to a need to "depend" on contributions such as those from his new signing, while also hailing Sundowns' depth upfront.
"If it's not Brayan, it will be Peter [Shalulile]. If it's not Peter, it will be Iqraam [Rayners]. If it's not Iqraam, it will be Lebo [Mothiba]. We still trust in Bennet [Mokoena], who now plays mostly in [the DSTV] Diski [Challenge for the reserve team]," Cardoso continued.
"We, coaches, depend so much on the players. We just need to provide them conditions to play [well]: emotional satisfaction, well-being. They were very well welcomed and it [brings] acceptance in the group when a player shows quality and that doubles the energy towards himself.
"In the last match, seeing [León] dance together with the same choreography of the players made me understand that he's already inside the dynamics of the team... It means that they work in the locker room by themselves to be together.
"Let's hope he and the boys can perform together because there are so many challenges ahead."
Sundowns will next face TS Galaxy in KwaMhlanga, Mpumalanga, in the last 16 of the Nedbank Cup. After complaining about fixture congestion, he may opt to rotate his team.
However, as long as he maintains his strike rate of a goal every 79 minutes, León will remain the firm favourite to start upfront in major games.