Four minutes, and Loftus went quiet
Loftus had the rain, the noise and two of the home side’s biggest names back on the team sheet. USM Alger had the finishing. They were ahead after four minutes, and they never let go.
The Sundowns USM Alger result: USM Alger 3, Mamelodi Sundowns 1, in the CAF Super Cup at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Sunday afternoon. Zakaria Draoui, captain Saâdi Radouani and Ahmed Khaldi scored for the Confederation Cup winners, and Iqraam Rayners replied from the penalty spot. TimesLIVE, The Citizen, iDiski Times, Pan Africa Football and Goal all reported the 3-1 after the final whistle.
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Result | USM Alger 3-1 Mamelodi Sundowns |
| Half-time | 2-1 to USM Alger |
| USM Alger goals | Zakaria Draoui (4′), Saâdi Radouani (first half), Ahmed Khaldi (55′) |
| Sundowns goal | Iqraam Rayners (penalty, first half) |
| Venue | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria |
| Coaches | Miguel Cardoso (Sundowns), Lamine N’Diaye (USM Alger) |
| Competition | CAF Super Cup, a one-off final |
A late change, then an early blow
Sundowns’ plans shifted before kick-off. Nuno Santos was hurt in the warm-up and Cassius Mailula came into the starting side instead, according to TimesLIVE, The Citizen and iDiski Times.
The news Bafana Bafana supporters were waiting for was on the same sheet. Teboho Mokoena started in midfield, and Ronwen Williams started in goal and wore the armband, the confirmed line-ups published before kick-off show. TimesLIVE notes that both were back after missing recent matches.
Then it went wrong quickly. Khaldi beat Khulumani Ndamane on the right and pulled the ball back, and Draoui finished from close range. Four minutes had gone.
Worse followed. Brayan Leon went down early and was stretchered off, The Citizen and iDiski Times report, and TimesLIVE has Rayners sent on in his place just past the quarter-hour.
Sundowns USM Alger result: how the Algerians pulled away
Rayners did not take long to make his mark. Midway through the half, the referee went to the VAR screen for a handball by Achref Abada and pointed to the spot, and Rayners scored. The reports differ on the exact minute, so we will leave it at midway.
Level did not last. About ten minutes before the break, a header from a corner came back off the crossbar, and Radouani, the USM captain, headed the rebound in.
Then the weather took over. Heavy rain and thunderstorms held up the start of the second half for more than half an hour, The Citizen and TimesLIVE report, and iDiski Times describes standing water on the pitch when play resumed.
Ten minutes after the restart, Khaldi settled it. He cut in from the right and curled a shot from outside the box past a diving Williams: 3-1 on 55 minutes.
Sundowns pushed for a way back. Cardoso sent on Siyanda Ndlovu, Themba Zwane, Fawaaz Basadien and Antonio Van Wyk. Pan Africa Football has USM goalkeeper Oussama Benbot saving from Thapelo Morena and Basadien, and Van Wyk missing two chances in added time. The second goal never came.
Why it hurts
For Mamelodi Sundowns, this was the chance to answer the Champions League exit against Wiliete with African silverware within weeks. Instead, USM Alger have a second Super Cup in three years, after beating Al Ahly in 2023, and Sundowns’ only one is still the 2017 win over TP Mazembe that our Super Cup preview recalled.
No post-match words from Cardoso or N’Diaye had appeared in any report we read by 18:15 on Sunday.
Our view: this is ScoreLine’s opinion. TimesLIVE describes Sundowns dominating for long periods against a compact USM side, and that matches the shape of the afternoon. Look at how the goals went in, though: a cut-back, a second ball from a corner, and a third that TimesLIVE puts down to ball-watching. That is concentration more than quality. Losing Santos before kick-off and Leon soon after it cost Cardoso two attacking options, but neither explains the gaps at the back.
What comes next
Williams and Mokoena both started a demanding final, and Pitso Mosimane’s squad meets Kenya in Johannesburg on Friday 13 November in the first of two qualifiers. Our AFCON 2027 qualifiers page has the campaign so far. How either player came through Sunday, and how serious Leon’s injury is, are for Sundowns and SAFA to confirm, not for us to guess. Sundowns’ own next assignment is the knockout cup semi-finals, with the draw due once Sunday night’s two quarter-finals are done.