Morena Promises Bounce Back After Painful Super Cup Loss

Mamelodi Sundowns defender Thapelo Morena has promised that the Brazilians will regroup following their disappointing CAF Super Cup defeat to Algerian outfit USM Alger on Saturday.

Sundowns suffered a 3-1 defeat against USM Alger at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, missing out on the opportunity to add another continental trophy to their collection on home soil.

The Brazilians qualified for the Super Cup as last season’s CAF Champions League winners, while USM Alger entered the competition as reigning CAF Confederation Cup champions.

The defeat also marked the first time Sundowns had lost the CAF Super Cup. Their previous appearance in the competition came in 2017, following their 2016 CAF Champions League triumph. On that occasion, they defeated Congolese giants TP Mazembe at Loftus Versfeld Stadium to lift the trophy.

Morena, however, insisted that there was no negative side to their performance, believing Sundowns could have settled the contest in the first half had things gone their way.

“There’s no negative side to it. As I said, if Sunday had been our day, we could have won the game in the first half,” he said.

“It’s one of those things where we now have to regroup. It’s something we always want to do, not just for ourselves, but for everyone who supports Mamelodi Sundowns and stands behind the club.”

The 33-year-old defender, who was part of the Sundowns team that won the Super Cup in 2017, admitted that the defeat was painful, particularly because the team had hoped to redeem themselves by winning the trophy following their disappointing exit from the CAF Champions League.

Sundowns’ latest continental disappointment comes after they failed to reach the Champions League group stages this season, suffering elimination at the hands of Angolan side Wiliete SC.

It was the first time since 2015 that the Tshwane giants had failed to reach the group stages of the competition. On that occasion, they were also eliminated by TP Mazembe before eventually getting their revenge against the Congolese outfit in the 2017 CAF Super Cup.

“It’s painful,” he added.

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

The Brazilians will now turn their attention to domestic football as they look to put their continental disappointments behind them.

They are scheduled to return to action on 28 November, following the two-week FIFA international break, when they face Kruger United in a Betway Premiership encounter. Sundowns will be determined to get back to winning ways and restore confidence following their Super Cup disappointment.