Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos feels Mamelodi Sundowns might need to make some changes to get over the line in the CAF Champions League.
Sundowns lost the Champions League final to Egyptian club Pyramids on Sunday following a 2-1 defeat in the second leg and 3-2 on aggregate after the first leg ended 1-1 in Pretoria.
The Brazilians had a good command of the first leg but conceded a costly equaliser in the final minute while in the return match in Cairo, they were totally dominated by the Egyptian team, before they raised their game in the final 20 minutes.
It was Sundowns’ first final since lifting the trophy in 2016 but in recent years, they have been getting to the latter stages without success, with a quarter-final and back-to-back semi-finals in the last three seasons, before they reached the final this year and Broos is surprised that they have yet to win a second title.
Broos thought Sundowns would win CAF CL
“I thought there was a big chance that Sundowns could finish the job,” Broos said as per iDiski Times.
“But at the other side this Pyramids team is not a bad team and for me, what I saw in the previous Champions League they are better than Al Ahly. It’s a better team than Al Ahly. They are very aggressive. They play good football. There are some good players in it.
“So, it was tough, and I said it on Thursday when I was in SABC to announce the team, they asked me the same question, I said I think Sundowns can win but it will be very tough, and it happens, and I think it’s a big disappointment for Sundowns.
“I think they expected that they could finish the job in Cairo. They were confident. When you’re confident and then you lose, and they had chances in the second half they were dominating Pyramids.”
What is Bafana coach advising PSL champions?
The Bafana Bafana coach feels it is time for refection for Sundowns and they might need to make some changes for them to secure the continental glory that has been eluding them for the last nine years.
“The goalkeeper of Pyramids saved two, three chances of Sundowns. But okay those things are happening and maybe Sundowns have to look a little bit what happened in the previous season because since I’m here, they played quarterfinals, they played semi-finals, they played finals, and every time they don’t succeed,” added Broos.
“So maybe they have to change something or to do something, because they have to think about it. Because you can’t every year be so far and then when it’s money time you lose.”
Broos is, however, still delighted that a South African team made it to the final as he feels it is good for the country’s football to have a representative at such a big stage on the continent.
