Mamelodi Sundowns are licking their wounds after coming so close to continental glory and then letting it slip away.
Sundowns lost the CAF Champions League final to Egyptian side Pyramids on Sunday after a 2-1 defeat in the first leg and 3-2 on aggregate with the game in Cairo proving difficult for them.
The PSL champions had made their work tough when they conceded a late equaliser in the first leg at Loftus Versfeld to give Pyramids an advantage on the away goals rule and hopes of overturning it went up in smoke as they failed to rise to the occasion in the second leg.
Afrik-Foot highlights how Mamelodi Sundowns lost the CAF Champions League title.
Poor defending
Until the final, Mamelodi Sundowns had conceded just one goal in four matches in the knockout rounds but let in three in the two-legged final.
This was down to how Sundowns defended, especially set pieces, as it was through a corner that they conceded the equaliser in Pretoria while the second goal in Cairo was scored from a freekick.
Sundowns lost concentration on set-plays and allowed their opponents to win the first ball, something that has not been part of their game.
Still, there could have been more in the second leg as the Sundowns’ central defensive partnership of Grant Kekana and Mosa Lebusa was easily beaten for pace by Fiston Mayele who got in behind at ease.
Kakana’s poor clearance also laid it on the plate for Mayele to fire home the first goal in the second leg, displaying a lack of concentration that had not been witnessed before.
Where was Mshishi?
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso was slammed for not using Themba Zwane in the first leg and he remained adamant in the return match with “Mshishi” left on the bench again for the entire contest.
While Zwane returned from a long-term injury in April, he still has enough in the tank to put in a great shift for 15 or 20 minutes, but he was not afforded the opportunity by Cardoso.
In the second leg, when Pyramids were all over Sundowns, not giving them time and space on the ball and forcing them into mistakes, the calming presence and intelligence of Zwane was needed to put out the fire but he was nowhere to be seen.
Cardoso will be heavily criticised for this decision and he cannot complain a lot because he had a player capable of pulling the strings when the team needed it most but opted against using him.
Failure to watch Mayele
Sundowns had already watched Congolese forward Fiston Mayele eliminate Orlando Pirates with his two goals in the semi-final but somehow did not come up with a plan to stop him.
While Pyramids devised a strategy to keep Lucas Ribeiro quiet, Sundowns allowed Mayele to roam freely and after escaping in the first leg, there was no such luck in Cairo.
Mayele pounced on a mistake from Kekana to fire home the first goal and got in behind the Sundowns defence a number of times with only poor finishing letting him down but his goal made a huge difference in the grand scheme of things.
Stubborn Cardoso pays the price
Meanwhile, coach Miguel Cardoso will also take some blame for not reading the game early and making tactical adjustments that would have changed the result.
With his players clearly struggling with the high energy of Pyramids, Cardoso waited until past the hour mark to make changes but by this time, it was 2-0 and the job more difficult.
His changes saw Sundowns remarkably improve but it was not enough to save them from defeat as his late act came when the Egyptian club were well out of sight.
The Portuguese coach also opted against trying a more pragmatic approach when it was clear that passing through the Pyramids midfield would be difficult.
Mothiba’s first match is a CAF CL final?
Meanwhile, Cardoso pulled off a major surprise when he brought in Lebo Mothiba to try and rescue the game yet the striker had not played for one-and-a-half years.
Mothiba joined Sundowns in January, having not played since December 2023 while still in France with Strasbourg SC due to injuries, but Cardoso found him good enough to play in their most important match and at a critical time ahead of Zwane.
His lack of sharpness was clear as Sundowns went in search of a goal and Cardoso will have a lot of explaining to do regarding that massive decision.
