Five months ago Mamelodi Sundowns were crowned champions of Africa. On Friday night at Loftus Versfeld they lost their grip on the title before the group stage had even started. One deflected shot gave Pretoria hope. One loose pass took it away.
The Sundowns v Wiliete result was a 1-1 draw, and after a goalless first leg in Angola the tie finished level on aggregate. Wiliete’s goal in Pretoria counted for more under the away goals rule, so the Angolan side go into the CAF Champions League group stage and the defending champions are out, CAF confirmed.
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Result | Mamelodi Sundowns 1-1 Wiliete |
| Aggregate | 1-1, Wiliete through on away goals |
| Goals | Tashreeq Matthews 11′ (Sundowns); Mabululu, early second half (Wiliete) |
| Venue | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria |
| Stage | CAF Champions League, second preliminary round, second leg |
How the Sundowns v Wiliete result turned
Sundowns began like a side that expected to win. Aubrey Modiba, Thabang Matuludi and Marcelo Allende kept putting the ball into the box for Brayan León and Cassius Mailula, TimesLIVE reported, and IOL had Allende setting the tempo. The goal came after 11 minutes: Tashreeq Matthews hit a left-footed shot from outside the area and a deflection off a Wiliete player carried it in. CAF’s report prints the scorer’s surname as Williams; TimesLIVE and IOL both name Matthews.
Before the break Ronwen Williams had to stretch to keep out Deivi Miguel Vieira, the former Orlando Pirates midfielder. A goal up on the night and on aggregate at half-time. Comfortable, it seemed.
It lasted a few minutes into the second half. Mailula played a soft pass back, it ran away from Allende, and Cristóvão Paciência, known as Mabululu, was through to beat Williams. One away goal, and the sums flipped. A draw was no longer enough: Sundowns needed another goal.
Cardoso throws on attackers, Wiliete hold firm
Miguel Cardoso went for it. Siyanda Ndlovu replaced Mailula just after the hour, and Thapelo Morena and Antonio van Wyk came on for Matuludi and Modiba a few minutes later, according to TimesLIVE. IOL reported that he took off defenders for attackers in the closing stages. León kept running at a crowded penalty area. Wiliete, a club founded only in 2018 and currently top of Angola’s Girabola, packed men behind the ball after their goal, CAF said, and the second Sundowns goal never came.
Cardoso: we can only look at ourselves
Speaking to SABC Sport afterwards, Cardoso did not hand the credit to the opposition. Apart from one first-half shot, he said, Wiliete had created nothing, and their goal came from a pass by Sundowns’ own striker, iDiski Times reported. His side had the chances and the game was simple to close, he said, but with 40 minutes left after the equaliser they let emotions take control.
“It’s a very tough result, disaster is another thing in life,” he said. There were still competitions to win, he added, and the squad had to turn things round quickly.
Why this exit hurts
This is a club that won the competition in May. Sundowns had reached the group stage every season since 2016, and the last time they fell short at this point was 2015, TimesLIVE and iDiski Times reported. A goalless trip to Angola, the subject of our numbers piece on the first leg, left everything to play for at Loftus, as our return-leg preview set out. They could not finish the job.
It also changes South Africa’s African season. With Sundowns gone, Orlando Pirates are the country’s only club left in this competition, TimesLIVE noted. If the away goals rule caught you off guard, our explainer on how Africa’s qualifying rounds work covers it.
What comes next for Sundowns
Nobody gets a week to dwell on it. Marumo Gallants come to Loftus Versfeld on Tuesday evening, 27 October, kick-off 19:00, for a knockout cup last-16 tie, the PSL confirms. Every Sundowns story is on our club page, and this weekend’s other games are in our fixture guide.
Cardoso called it a tough night, not a disaster. Tuesday is the first chance to show the difference.