MC Alger manager Rhulani Mokwena insists Mamelodi Sundowns are worthy winners of their final CAF Champions League group stage clash.
The South African giants and 2016 champions triumphed over the Algeria club 2-0 at the Loftus Versveld on Saturday, February 14, 2026 to finish second in Group C behind Sudanese giants in Al Hilal.
Colombia international, Brayan Leone scored in either half of the pitch to propel the Brazilians to victory, ensuring his outfit earns a place in the knockout stage.
While Sundowns progresses to the knockout stage, Mokwena and his charges bows out of the continental competition.
Speaking after the match, Mokwena admitted defeated, stressing Mamelodi Sundowns deserved to win the game.
“Congratulations to Sundowns because in the end I think today they were the better side and they deserved to win, so congratulations to them and good luck to them for the rest of the competition,” Mokwena told SABC Sport after the match.
“I think it wasn’t just about today’s game, we left it a little bit too late, we dropped points in some games like in Rwanda, we came back to make it 1-1 vs Al Hilal. At home against Sundowns, we had a couple of chances and we should have won that game instead of a point.
“That makes a bit of a difference then we could have won or taken a point against Lupopo in Congo, but that’s football, we take a point and move on. We have a lot of work, you need more than a few seconds for me to debrief this campaign.”
Having been booted out of the continental competitions, MC Alger will shift their attention to the domestic competition as the Algerian top-flight battle heats up.
