USM Alger stun Mamelodi Sundowns to win CAF Super Cup

Mamelodi Sundowns’ hopes of adding another trophy to their season ended in disappointment as USM Alger claimed a 3-1 victory in the CAF Super Cup final at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Sunday.

Sundowns had been targeting a third piece of silverware after winning the MTN8 and the Fifa African Asian Pacific Cup. However, despite controlling much of the match, they were unable to overcome the Algerian side.

The result follows Sundowns’ elimination from the CAF Champions League preliminaries, with the club having hoped to recover by securing the Super Cup and continuing their pursuit of further honours.

Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams and midfielder Teboho Mokoena returned to the starting XI after missing recent matches because of injuries. The final brought together the winners of last season’s Champions League and Confederation Cup, with both clubs seeking to add to titles they had won in 2016 and 2023 respectively.

Sundowns suffered an early setback before kick-off when midfielder Nuno Santos was injured during the warm-up. Coach Miguel Cardoso responded by bringing striker Cassius Mailula into the starting line-up.

USM Alger needed only four minutes to take the lead. Ahmed Khaldi beat his marker on the right side of the penalty area and cut the ball back for Zakaria Draoui, who finished from close range.

The home side were forced into another change in the 16th minute when Bryan Leon appeared to suffer a groin injury. Iqraam Rayners came on in his place.

Sundowns continued to dominate possession and territory, but USM Alger defended in a compact shape and restricted their opponents’ openings.

They were given an opportunity to draw level in the 23rd minute when a handball was identified following a Video Assistant Referee review. Rayners took responsibility for the penalty and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to make it 1-1.

The Algerian side regained the lead 10 minutes before half-time. Saadi Radouani reacted quickest after an initial header struck the crossbar, getting ahead of his marker to head the rebound into the net.

The second half began more than 30 minutes late because of inclement weather. When play resumed, Sundowns again pressed for an equaliser, while USM Alger withdrew and looked to absorb the pressure.

Instead, the visitors extended their advantage in the 55th minute. Sundowns’ defence failed to track the danger as Khaldi found space outside the penalty area and curled a shot into the net to make it 3-1 against the run of play.

Sundowns had defeated Al-Ahly of Saudi Arabia at the same venue in September to lift the African Asian Pacific Cup, but they could not reproduce that performance as USM Alger secured the CAF Super Cup.