“Sundowns shouldn’t be judged on the Premier Soccer League, to be fair. They should be judged on the Champions League… They should be in the semifinal or final every year. That’s how you should judge them, because the gap is so much bigger than everybody in South Africa.”

So said one of the most outspoken characters in the history of South African football, Gavin Hunt, on the sustained domestic dominance by the reigning and record South African champions Sundowns.  

The SuperSport United mentor is not wrong. Even Masandawana themselves would find it difficult to deny that for all their supremacy on home soil, they have disappointingly failed to replicate that type of success in the continental Caf Champions League.

Since winning the Champions League under the guidance of the legendary Pitso Mosimane in 2016, Sundowns have only managed to reach the semifinal stage once — in the 2018/2019 season.

Last season they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Angolan side Petro Atlético after a 3-2 aggregate defeat. It marked the third season in a row that the Tshwane giants had tumbled over this hurdle.

That failure would have been even more bitter to swallow following the South African side’s display in the group phase.

Nkanyiso Zungu of Richards Bay kicks a free kick while Mamelodi Sundowns players jump to defend it during the Nedbank Cup Last 32 match between Mamelodi Sundowns and Richards Bay at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on 7 February, 2023 in Pretoria, South Africa. (Photo: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)

Sundowns were mathematically the best-performing team during the group phase of the Champions League in the 2021/2022 campaign, accumulating 16 points from a possible haul of 18. They also conceded the fewest goals (jointly), letting in just two (along with Morocco’s Raja Casablanca and Espérance of Tunisia).

However, they were no match for Angola’s Pertro, as yet another continental campaign concluded with a whimper.

In 2023, the team is in Group B, alongside record African champions Al Ahly (with 10 titles) of Egypt, as well as Sudanese side Al Hilal and Cameroon’s Coton Sport.  

Visit Daily Maverick’s home page for more news, analysis and investigations

“Firstly, we have to recognise that there are a lot of difficult teams that have made it into the group stages of the Champions League and over the years it has become a tough competition for all teams. There is familiarity in the draw with regards to the teams from the group that we had in 2021,” said Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena as he reacted to this season’s group stage draw in December.

Sundowns will face familiar foes in Al Hilal and Al Ahly, having been grouped with the two sides back in 2021/2022 during the round-robin stages of the continental competition. Coton is a different and unfamiliar proposition though.

“We have our analysts to do research and get games with more recent information to get enough information for preparations. They are a competitive team and we will be thorough in preparations as we always are,” said Mokwena on their strategy when they eventually face the Cameroonians.

First off though for the 36-year-old coach and his super team is a clash with Sudan’s Al Hilal on Saturday, 11 February at Loftus Versfeld in Tshwane. Kick-off is at 3pm.

Similarly to Sundowns, the Sudanese lead their domestic league. They have only lost one of their 17 games played to date. Of those, 14 have been victories, while they’ve drawn two.

However, compared to their South African counterparts — who are on a record 15-match league winning streak — Al Hilal are on a mere three-match winning streak. Though, the last time they lost a match was on 20 December 2022.

When Sundowns and Hilal faced off in the group phase last season, the former won both home and away ties; 1-0 in South Africa and 4-2 in Omdurman. They will hope for similar returns in 2023.

Though this season it may be a bit tougher. The Sudanese outfit is under the stewardship of respected African coach Florent Ibengé, who joined them after winning the Caf Confederation Cup with RS Berkane of Morocco last season.

Speaking after his side eased past Richards Bay in the Nedbank Cup during the week, Mokwena said in spite of his charges ramming through all sorts of records this season — the focus is on lifting silverware more than anything else.

“We don’t have time to celebrate victories or to celebrate records, because there are no trophies with any of those at the moment. We will celebrate trophies because that’s what we are here for,” Mokwena told journalists.

Will they be celebrating lifting just their second-ever Champions League trophy later this year? Only time will tell. DM