Sundowns regret missed chances after home defeat to USM Alger

MAMELODI Sundowns defender Thapelo Morena says losing the Caf Super Cup on home soil was a bitter pill to swallow.

He said missed chances were the main reason for their 3–1 defeat to Algeria’s USM Alger at Loftus Versfeld on Sunday, 8 November.

Sundowns pay for missed chances

The Brazilians paid the price for wasting opportunities, with Morena among those who missed chances.

USM Alger goalkeeper Oussama Benbot pushed away Morena’s header from Cassius Mailula’s delivery. Morena then missed another chance from close range later in the first half.

Those misses proved costly as the visitors regained the lead through Saadi Radouani, who scored from a corner just before half-time.

Zakaria Draoui had put USM Alger ahead inside four minutes. Iqraam Rayners equalised from the penalty spot in the 25th minute.

Ahmed Khaldi’s stunning second-half strike sealed the trophy for the Algerians. The restart had been delayed by more than 30 minutes because of heavy rain and lightning in Pretoria.

Morena, who has been one of Sundowns’ most reliable performers this season, spoke openly about where the match was lost.

I think it’s also a heavy one for us to take in. The most important thing we didn’t do was convert the chances we created. Also, the early goal they scored in the first few minutes gave us a bit of a wake-up call that we needed to push more.

“Unfortunately, after conceding, we scored and then conceded from a set-piece. I think that’s something we’ve been working on, but unfortunately, today we couldn’t deal with those situations,” said Morena.

Caf Champions League exit adds to the pain

The defeat was even harder to accept after Sundowns’ shock Caf Champions League exit against Angolan side Wiliete SC.

That result denied the Brazilians a place in the group stage of Africa’s top club competition for the first time in more than a decade.

Morena said winning the Super Cup had been especially important to the players as a chance to restore their continental pride.

“There’s no lack of desire. Like I said, if today was our day, we could have taken our chances in the first half. It’s one thing that we always want to give a lot on the pitch. It’s not just for us, but for everyone who supports Sundowns and stands behind the team,” he said.

“It’s painful, and I don’t know how to put it because it’s something we wanted to use to redeem ourselves with. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen today.”

International break gives Sundowns time to regroup

The international break now gives Sundowns two weeks to regroup before domestic competition resumes.

The challenge for Cardoso and his charges is to use the disappointment of two continental setbacks in quick succession as motivation to respond.