Mamelodi Sundowns were crowned the inaugural African Football League champions after beating Wydad Casablanca 3-2 on aggregate in the final. Soccer Laduma looks at five factors that were key for the Brazilians to conquer the continent.
1. Depth
Sundowns lost important defenders Grant Kekana and Rivaldo Coetzee who had played in the final for the first-leg in Casablanca, who started as centre-backs.
However, they were able to recall Mothobi Mvala and Mosa Lebusa, who helped the Brazilians keep a clean-sheet in the second-leg on Sunday.
Most teams would struggle if they lose two centre-backs who started in a final first-leg, as it was seemingly the case with Wydad Casablanca, who could not cope without their captain, centre-back Yahya Jabrane, who was inspirational in the first-leg but was suspended for the second-leg.
2. Afternoon Kickoffs Strategy
Sundowns always change the kick-off times to the afternoon when playing against North African opposition, who may struggle in the heat or altitude of Pretoria.
As was the case with Al Ahly in the semi-finals, the home fixture for the Brazilians was originally scheduled for the evening but the Tshwane giants changed it to an afternoon kickoff.
The Brazilians have never lost a game at home against either Wydad or the Red Devils.
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3. Conditioning Department
Key strikers Peter Shalulile and Lucas Ribeiro Costa did not play during the whole tournament and they were probably not going to be risked in the final second-leg, if the game was not so important, but the risk to play them paid off, as Shalulile scored the opener.
After the game, Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena hailed the conditioning personnel for performing "miracles" on Shalulile and Costa. Mokwena said the "half-fit" Shalulile and Costa made a huge difference.
4. PSL Support
For a change, the PSL showed the Brazilians support ahead of their final second-leg at home after they postponed their DStv Premiership midweek fixture against AmaZulu.
Wydad did not have any domestic fixtures during the tournament. Al Ahly were also not featuring locally during their AFL campaign.
5. Home Fans
The Brazilians midfielder Teboho Mokoena said they were disappointed with their own fans prior to the start of the tournament, as they did not match the intimidating atmosphere they receive as Sundowns players when playing away last season in the CAF Champions League.
However, the fans came out in huge numbers at Loftus Versfeld Stadium and Rulani Mokwena also thanked the supporters for playing a huge role in their victory, as an almost capacity crowd, with yellow regalia, made a big difference in Sundowns beating Wydad.
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