Hlompho Kekana backs Mamelodi Sundowns to recover from CAF Super Cup defeat

Former Mamelodi Sundowns captain Hlompho Kekana believes the club’s players will recover quickly after their 3-1 defeat by USM Alger in the 2026 CAF Super Cup final.

Sundowns were beaten by the Algerian side at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Sunday, missing the chance to add another trophy to their collection. Kekana, who spent several successful years at Chloorkop, said the result would have been particularly difficult for a club whose expectations are centred on winning silverware.

“Obviously it wasn’t the results that the team wanted, and especially when you are a team like Mamelodi Sundowns, where you want to win everything. Those are the results that we don’t want to see or have,” Kekana told the Siya crew.

“But football works that way. You win some, you lose some. I would love to believe that this is sad.

“It’s painful to lose such matches. We are in matches of consequences, where we have to jump on the podium. You know, we win the final, we win the trophies, we want to win them.

“We win the final, we want to bring the trophies to Chloorkop. So, this is one of the results we want to move away from as soon as possible.”

The former midfielder said the defeat should not define Sundowns’ season, with several important competitions still ahead.

He highlighted the league, the Carling Knockout Cup and the Nedbank Cup, while also pointing to the club’s objective of returning to the Champions League. Kekana believes those challenges give the squad an opportunity to respond on the pitch.

“I still believe there is a lot of football that still needs to be played this year.

“There is the league, there is the Carling Knockout Cup, and there is Nedbank Cup. So, there are so many matches that are still coming. We still have to put ourselves back into the Champions League.

“So, yeah, it was difficult for the players, I can imagine. I have a strong belief that they will bounce back from this. It’s just the phase that they need to take themselves out of that, and I always believe that they will be back to winning ways soon,” he added.

Kekana has also discussed Sundowns’ ambitions and standards in a lengthy interview published in the latest edition of Soccer Laduma, edition 1500.

The 41-year-old spoke about the club’s winning culture, the demands of competing at the highest level and the Carling Knockout Cup. He also reflected on Sundowns’ CAF Champions League disappointment and explained why he remains convinced that the Brazilians are capable of continuing to challenge for major honours.