Sundowns is the only South African side remaining in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) club competitions after Jomo Cosmos and Santos were bundled out at the weekend.
Sundowns qualified for the second round of the CAF Cup after beating Premeiro de Agosto of Angola 9-8 after a marathon penalty shootout at Odi Stadium in Mabopane, North West, on Saturday.
This was after a 2-2 aggregate score at the end of the game. Premeiro beat Sundowns 2-0 during their first leg clash in Luanda a fortnight ago, but the South Africans went on to register a similar result at home.
Cosmos were eliminated by Costa do Sol of Mozambique, who beat them 3-0 during the second leg of the Mandela Cup match played at Makhulong Stadium in Tembisa on Sunday.
Costa do Sol beat Cosmos 1-0 during the first leg in Maputo a fortnight ago.
Despite the defeat, Cosmos boss Jomo Sono was proud of his charges, who are tipped to win the inaugural Absa Cup at home.
”We played very well, created a lot of scoring opportunities but failed to put the ball in the back of the net,” said Sono.
In Tanzania on Sunday, Castle Premiership champions Santos were also shown the exit in the lucrative African Champions League after Simba beat them 9-8 in a marathon penalty shootout, after their game ended in a goalless draw. The two clubs also played to a goalless draw in the first leg played at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town a fortnight ago.
Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs are the only South African clubs to have won the CAF competitions in the past, with Bucs clinching the African Champions League in 1995, and the Amakhosi Mandela Cup in 2000.
The African Champions League is the only CAF competition that offers prize money, and is the brainchild of the South African 2010 World Cup Bid Committee and Pirates boss Irvin Khoza. – Sapa