Mamelodi Sundowns eye redemption in Cairo after late slip in CAF Champions League final first leg

After finally breaking their CAF Champions League semi-final curse, Mamelodi Sundowns must overcome a defensive obstacle in order to boost their silverware chances.

Sundowns are in the continental showpiece final for the first time since winning the crown in 2016, having exited in the semi-finals in the past two seasons. However, they did not start the first leg of the two-legged final on a positive note, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by fellow finalists Pyramids at home, Loftus Versfeld, last Saturday.

Sundowns allowed Pyramids to sneak in the equaliser deep in stoppage time, giving the Egyptian side a crucial away goal advantage heading into the second leg in Cairo on Sunday night (7pm kick-off).

Despite being the best team domestically — with eight successive Premiership titles — and one of the most consistent on the continent, lapses in concentration have plagued Sundowns’ cup campaigns. The Brazilians have often conceded late, costly goals that have derailed their ambitions.

They have suffered similar setbacks in Africa, including Mothobi Mvala’s own goal in the dying moments of last year’s semi-final second leg against Wydad Casablanca. With the need to score and avoid conceding in Cairo, Mvala has spoken openly about what must change for the team to progress.

“Conceding in the last minutes of the game hurts a lot — especially when you look at the last few big tournaments,” Mvala said.

“In knockout games, that’s when we actually lose concentration. The same thing happened against Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup final, Magesi in the Carling Knockout final, and Wydad.

“The only thing we need to do now is defend with the ball. Keep possession and not allow them to regain it or deliver crosses into the box. If you recall, in all our games towards the end, we always concede from crosses, and that’s something we’re aware of and trying our best to stop.”

Mvala has not featured as much as he would have liked in the Champions League knockout stage due to a lengthy injury layoff. However, having regained full fitness, he is ready to contribute when needed — especially with a clean sheet being pivotal in the second leg.

“Definitely, I am still part of the team. For me, it’s about supporting the guys who are playing, because they’ve been doing well,” Mvala said.

“Grant (Kekana) has been doing well — I think he has played in almost all the games. Mosa (Lebusa) and Mali (Khozai) came in and have also done well.

“So, it becomes very difficult for the coach to take them out and put me in. I am happy with the way the coach has managed me.

“Hopefully, I’ll get my chance, but the guys have been doing well. I just have to wait for my opportunity.”

Sundowns have enjoyed productive trips to Cairo in recent years — including a 1-1 draw with Al Ahly in the semi-final second leg that booked their spot in the final.

“We’ve been lucky in Egypt, so hopefully that luck will be with us again against Pyramids,” Mvala said.

“Playing against them in Egypt is always going to be tough. The nice thing is that we’ve played them before. Hopefully, lady luck will smile on us again.”

Mvala also played a crucial role in unsettling Al Ahly’s passionate fans during their last trip to Cairo. After being forced to walk around the pitch instead of crossing at half-time, he famously gestured to the sea of red-clad supporters, declaring they would cry after the game — and they did.

“They were booing us, so I had to show them that we were confident and going to win,” Mvala said.

“I told them, ‘You guys are going to cry.’ To be honest, I was very confident in the team — I could see how they were training.

“So, I had to show that confidence to the supporters — that ‘my guys are going to kill you’ — and it happened. I was happy.”