Sundowns made to pay for their mistakes as Al-Hilal hand them first Champions League loss

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Sundowns made to pay for their mistakes as Al-Hilal hand them first Champions League loss
Image - Sundowns

Mamelodi Sundowns suffered a setback in the CAF Champions League when they lost 2-1 away to Sudan’s Al-Hilal at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali, Rwanda on Friday night.

Sundowns were looking to secure an away victory after drawing 2-2 with Al-Hilal at home last Friday but were made to pay for their costly errors as they conceded just before halftime and immediately upon resumption.

The PSL champions had opportunities to score first through Tashreeq Matthews who hit the crossbar from Khuliso Mudau’s square ball before he made the goalkeeper save after getting in behind the Al-Hilal defence from a Thato Sibiya’s pass.

Goalkeeper Denis Onyago nearly made a mess of a back pass in the 20th minute with Adama Coulibaly nearly punishing him. Al-Hilal would miss a great chance in the 40th minute from Mohamed Abdelrahman.

Great goals from both sides

However, on the stroke of halftime, the Sudanese giants got their reward from the penalty spot. With Coulibaly making a run towards goal, Onyango brought him down when he dived low in an attempt to get the ball and the referee pointed to the spot. Abdelrahman stepped up and sent Onyango the wrong way.

Sundowns responded by bringing on Arthur Sales for the second half but they conceded a second goal four minutes after the break when Marcello Allende’s pass to the Brazilian was intercepted by Jean Girumugisha.

The Burundian made his way towards Sundowns’ goal and with the defenders backpaddling, he unleashed a low shot from outside the box and into the bottom corner beyond Onyango.

Onyango would go down with what looked like a groin problem but he got up and continued, making a good save soon after.

Sundowns had some hope in the 61st minute when Sales pulled one back after being set up well by Peter Shalulile as he hammered home from the edge of the box.

Ndamane 1

Where does defeat leave Sundowns?

The Brazilians would lay siege at the Al-Hilal goal, Mudau finding Shalulile, who failed to connect well while in the box while Sales found the Namibian again but he shot directly at the goalkeeper, wasting a glorious opportunity.

At this time, Sundowns were pushing many numbers forward and nearly conceded a third as Al-Hilal caught them on the counter numerous times with only poor decision-making saving Miguel Cardoso’s team.

Abdelrazig Omer of Al Hilal celebrates his goal against Mamelodi Sundowns

It is the first defeat for Sundowns in the Champions League this season and a first in all competitions since losing to Golden Arrows in September.

Defeat sees Sundowns surrender top spot in Group C as they are now second on five points from four games, three behind leaders Al Hilal, and could find themselves in third place by the end of the week if St Eloi Lupopo beat Rulani Mokwena’s MC Alger on Sunday as they have four points from three games.

<!-- Author Start -->Joel Oliver<!-- Author End -->

Joel Oliver

Author

Joel Oliver is a seasoned multimedia sports journalist with a rich background in covering diverse football stories and events in South Africa and beyond.
His extensive coverage spans subjects touching on the PSL, with a focus on the Big Three (Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs & Mamelodi Sundowns), Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana.

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