Mamelodi Sundowns suffered a painful 3-1 defeat at home to Algerian outfit USM Alger in the CAF Super Cup final at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Sunday, missing out on an opportunity to add another continental trophy to their growing collection.
The Brazilians were hoping to capitalise on home-ground advantage and secure their second CAF Super Cup title, but USM Alger produced a clinical performance to silence the home supporters and lift the prestigious trophy for the second time.
Sundowns endured a nightmare start when Zakaria Draoui opened the scoring just four minutes into the encounter. Ahmed Khaldi created the opportunity after breaking into the Sundowns penalty area before pulling the ball back for Draoui to finish from close range.
The hosts suffered another setback in the 16th minute when striker Bryan Leon appeared to pick up a groin injury and was replaced by Iqraam Rayners.
However, Rayners provided Sundowns with a lifeline in the 23rd minute after the referee awarded them a penalty following a VAR review for handball. The striker made no mistake from the spot to restore parity.
Despite enjoying periods of possession and putting pressure on the visitors, Sundowns struggled to break down a disciplined USM Alger defence.
The Algerian side regained the advantage approximately 10 minutes before half-time when Saadi Radouani rose above the Sundowns defence to head home after an initial effort had struck the crossbar.
The second half was delayed by more than 30 minutes following heavy rainfall in Pretoria, but the interruption did little to change the visitors’ approach.
USM Alger absorbed Sundowns’ attacking pressure before delivering another devastating blow in the 55th minute.
Khaldi produced a superb curling effort from outside the penalty area to make it 3-1, punishing a Sundowns defence that had been caught off guard.
The result leaves Sundowns disappointed after entering the final with ambitions of adding another international trophy to their cabinet.
The defeat also comes at a difficult time for the Tshwane giants following their elimination from the CAF Champions League preliminary rounds, making Sunday’s final an important opportunity to restore continental pride.
Sundowns had qualified for the Super Cup after winning the previous season’s CAF Champions League, while USM Alger earned their place after lifting the CAF Confederation Cup.
The Brazilians will now have to turn their attention back to domestic competitions as coach Miguel Cardoso faces renewed pressure to deliver silverware.
