Mamelodi Sundowns were humbled by Algeria’s USM Alger in front of their home supporters in the CAF Super Cup final that was played at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Sunday night.

The Brazilians were shell-shocked and defeated 3-1 by the Algerians, adding more woes to Masandawana, who were embarrassingly knocked out of the CAF Champions League, a competition they won last season, by minnows Wiliete SC of Angola in the second round of the preliminary stage.

Across the province at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, in a Carling Knockout cup quarterfinal encounter, Kaizer Chiefs advanced to the semi-finals after a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Siwelele FC.

Amakhosi last won a PSL cup competition in the 2024/25 season, where they nailed Orlando Pirates 2-1 in the Nedbank Cup final in Durban, and their fans will be hoping that the players, who are under immense pressure, will bring another silverware to their Naturena headquarters.

In the other semi-final, Stellenbosch FC beat a stubborn AmaZulu 2-1 at the Danie Craven Stadium, also on Sunday evening. Stellies will join Pirates, Sundowns and Chiefs in the last four stage of the competition.

Masandawana coach Miguel Cardoso will have a tough week after he crashed out of the CAF Champions League two weeks ago. Sundowns have set high standards, and winning the CAF Super Cup would have surely covered the cracks for Cardoso. To be honest, his future as head coach of the Brazilians is hanging by a thread.

Sundowns came into their game after dominating on the domestic front, and they are still unbeaten in the Betway Premiership and currently on top of the log with 26 points from 10 outings.

But, the Brazilians were forced to make some changes due to late injuries. Cassius Mailula replaced Nuno Santos, who was injured during the warm-up session prior to kick-off, and Brayan Leon was also stretchered off, and Iqraam Rayners replaced him.

While all eyes will be on whether Cardoso survives the dreaded axe, the draw for the Carling Knockout cup semi-finals will be highly anticipated, with the three Betway Premier giants Sundowns, Pirates and Chiefs all in the mix.