Mamelodi Sundowns utility star Thapelo Morena has revisited last season’s CAF Champions League near-miss as he seeks inspiration for his side to get it right this time around.
The Brazilians are in the Champions League final for the second successive season after finishing as runners-up last term. They face Moroccan side AS FAR Rabat in the first leg at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Sunday.
For coach Miguel Cardoso, it will be the third consecutive season to lead a team in the final of this tournament. He was first losing finalist with Esperance during the 2023/24 season, before last term when he guided Sundowns to defeat against Pyramids FC.
Cardoso will now take his men to host AS FAR in Pretoria, before the two sides shift the battlefield to Prince Moulay Abdallah Stadium for the second leg seven days later. While AS FAR are bidding to win the Champions League for the first time since 1985, Sundowns are pushing to end a decade-long drought.
That ups the stakes ahead of the two-legged final between two teams eager to conquer the continent. For Sundowns, the pain from last season’s failure is still fresh and still stings, as expressed by Morena, who had to turn to his family for consolation.
THE PAIN OF BEING A CAF LOSING FINALISTS INSPIRES MORENA AS SUNDOWNS PUSH AGAIN
A 1-1 home draw with Pyramids in the first leg of last season’s finals made life difficult when Sundowns travelled to Egypt, where they lost 2-1.
“To be honest, after we lost the final last year, when I got home, it was a very tough situation for the family and me as well, but knowing that I have them as a support structure and that I will be spending time with them really makes a difference. They try by all means to give me support,” Morena told CAFOnline.
“I think we have the feeling of being in a final now. It’s not like before, when the last time we were there was in 2016. So now it is recent, and we obviously know the pain of not lifting the trophy when we are so close. So, this is our final push to make sure that we deliver and give our all.”
Masandawana go into the first leg of the Champions League reeling from Tuesday’s 3-2 Betway Premiership defeat by TS Galaxy. It was a result which now complicates their bid for a ninth consecutive league title.
Sundowns have now completed their PSL campaign and still remain three points clear at the top. If second-placed Orlando Pirates, who are left with two games, win their next match, they will be confirmed as champions on goal difference.
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