Monday | April 25, 2022

Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club failed to advance to the semifinals of the CAF Champions League after a 1-1 draw at home and conceded 2-1 away to Petro De Luanda of Angola on Saturday, Apr. 23.

Thus, exiting on 3-2 aggregate score in the knock-out rounds. The Angolans pulled a huge surprise against all manner of commentators by holding the Pretorians at FNB Stadium on Saturday. The host had their star player Themba Zwane see his penalty shave the upright as it went out of the field in the first half of the game. However, Sundowns got their goal immediately upon returning from the half-time break but it was canceled within a short space of time via a penalty that De Luanda put to good use.

Sundowns are becoming of the promising rising forces in Africa’s club football. They pulled two back-to-back victories in the group stages against one of the decorated giants of Africa Al Ahly Sporting Club (SC) of Egypt twice in the group stages. From there, football pundits anointed Sundowns falling among the favourites teams to lift the 2021/2022 edition of Africa’s most prestigious top honours at club level. Saturday’s failure to progress is seen as a regression having bombed out of the semifinals last season. Sundowns won the CAF Champions League in 2016 under the tutelage of the current Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane.

On the other hand, Mosimane’s team has reached the semifinals notwithstanding its losses in the hands of the Pretorians on two occasions in this league campaign.