EXPLAINER | How Sundowns won the Champions League title after 10 years

Persistent hard work in past years, sacrifices and the combined experience of some key players were what delivered the CAF Champions League title for Mamelodi Sundowns, ending their 10-year continental title drought.

Sundowns beat AS FAR 2-1 in aggregate in the final on Sunday. They won 1-0 in the first leg at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, before they secured a 1-1 draw in Rabat in the second leg to win the final 2-1.

This victory marked Sundowns’ first continental title since 2016, adding a second star to their badge.

We look at how they finally managed to achieve success this time.

• Sundowns set up their victory by winning the first leg 1–0 in Pretoria, with Aubrey Modiba scoring the only goal of the match, giving them a crucial advantage heading into the hostile reverse fixture. Not conceding at home gave them an advantage heading into the second leg, as the away goal meant AS FAR needed two more goals after Teboho Mokoena’s equaliser.
• Having come close to winning the title before falling short at the last hurdle, Sundowns had experienced and brought lessons from past failures, like losing to Egypt’s Pyramids in the final last year.
• They had to sacrifice the domestic league by bringing forward some of their Betway Premiership games to have enough time to prepare for the Champions League final.
• Curated signings in January, bringing in Brayan León, who was influential, scoring five goals in 10 appearances in this competition, and Kulumani Ndamane, although he was shaky at some point, were among the turning points.
• The experience of Mokoena, who scored the crucial equaliser on Sunday, Ronwen Williams and Khuliso Mudau was vital, while the tenacity and coming of age of Jayden Adams also played a role. Good, sporadic players like Divine Lunga and Keanu Cupido also helped, as they delivered every time they were needed.

Sowetan