Broos Urges Sundowns To Change Approach After Champions League Heartbreak

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos believes Mamelodi Sundowns must make changes to finally win the CAF Champions League. He had been confident they would overcome Pyramids, but that ultimately wasn’t the case.

Sundowns lost 2-1 in the second leg of the CAF Champions League final, resulting in a 3-2 aggregate defeat, at the 30 June Air Defence Stadium on Sunday.

The tie was level at 1-1 after the first leg in Pretoria. Pyramids, who had also defeated Pirates in the semi-final by the same aggregate score, took the lead when Fiston Mayele capitalized on a significant error by Bafana Bafana defender Grant Kekana in the first half.

The home side doubled their lead in the second half when Sundowns failed to clear a free-kick, allowing an unmarked Ahmed Samy to head past Ronwen Williams. Sundowns found a glimmer of hope as Iqraam Rayners pulled one back, making the score 3-2 on aggregate.

Miguel Cardoso’s side then needed just one more goal to win the Champions League on the away goals rule. However, as they pushed forward, Pyramids, marshaled by their eccentric coach Krunoslav Jurčić, effectively closed down all channels, securing the victory and becoming the fourth Egyptian club to win the Champions League.

“I thought there was a big chance for Sundowns to finish the job,” Broos commented. “But, on the other side, this Pyramids team is not a bad team. For me, what I saw in the previous Champions League, they are better than Al Ahly. This is a better team than Al Ahly. They are very aggressive, they play good football, there are some good players in it – it was tough.”

He continued, “I said it on Thursday when I was on SABC when I announced the Bafana team [that will play two friendly matches against Tanzania on Friday and Mozambique on Tuesday – all at Peter Mokaba Stadium] and they asked me the same question. I said, ‘I think Sundowns can win, but it will be very tough,’ and it happened.”

“I think it is a big disappointment for Sundowns; they expected that they could finish the job on Sunday, they were confident, and they lost,” Broos added. “They had chances, especially in the second half. They were dominating, Pyramids’ goalkeeper [Naser Elshenawi] saved two, three chances from Sundowns. But, okay, those things are happening in football.”

This marks the second consecutive season that Cardoso has lost a Champions League final, having done so last season with Esperance against record winners Al Ahly. It was also the second time Sundowns, who won this competition in 2016, had lost a Champions League final, with their previous defeat coming in 2001 against Al Ahly.

Broos stated that something fundamental needs to change for Sundowns to win their second Champions League title, as they consistently fall short despite getting close since his arrival in Mzansi.

“And maybe Sundowns have to look a little bit at past events because since I’m here, they have played quarter-finals, semi-finals, and they have played the final, and every time they don’t succeed,” Broos observed. “Maybe they have to change something, do something, because they have to think about it. You can’t be so far every year and then when it’s money time, you lose.”

He concluded, “It is up to them, but we don’t have to forget what they did; they have to be proud as South Africans that they performed the way they performed. It was a very good Champions League competition for them. Everything went well until the final, and that’s a pity.”