Mamelodi Sundowns have advanced into the semifinals of the CAF Champions League despite a 2-0 loss at the hands of Stade Malien in Bamako on Sunday evening.
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The Brazilians came into the second-leg quarterfinal clash at Stade du 26 Mars in Bamako with a 3-0 cushion from the first leg, and took the tie 3-2 on aggregate – though it was a humbling and stressful day for the South African team, which finished the game with 10 men and was arguably lucky to stay alive in the continental competition.
Stade Malien win on the night, but Sundowns secure their place in the #TotalEnergiesCAFCL final four 🟡👆#SSFootball pic.twitter.com/b2kLMpFTDf
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) March 22, 2026
Malien got off to a perfect start, with Taddeus Nkeng heading home from Mamadou Traore’s right-flank cross inside the opening 60 seconds of the match.
The effort was initially ruled out by the offside flag, but a VAR review correctly saw the hosts 1-0 up.
Nkeng found the net again in the 16th minute, and although the goal was initially awarded by the referee, another VAR review kept the hosts just one goal to the good.
However, that scare underlined Sundowns’ lack of control in the match, with Les Blancs able to trouble the Brazilians at will with their pace and intensity – despite seeing relatively little of the ball.
And the hosts duly claimed a second goal in the 40th minute. Again VAR was involved, but ultimately Haman Mandjan’s drive into the goal via the underside of the crossbar was allowed, seeing Malien 2-0 up on the day.
Sundowns upped their game in the second half and thought they had halved the deficit in the 55th minute when Iqraam Rayners found the net from close range, but he was correctly ruled offside.
However, the Brazilians suffered a major blow in the 77th minute when Aubrey Modiba was shown a straight red card for a clumsy and dangerous challenge – forcing the visitors into a much more defensive frame of mind.
The final 13 minutes plus injury time saw Sundowns survive several close shaves, with Les Blancs just unable to find the third goal which would have sent the game to penalties.
Sundowns will face Esperance de Tunis in the semifinals, set to be played over two legs on 10-11 and 17-18 April.
Stade Malien (2) 2 (Nkeng 1’, Mandjan 40’)
Mamelodi Sundowns 0
Sundowns won 3-2 on aggregate
Malien: N. Traore, Bode, D, Coulibaly, O. Coulibaly, Diallo (Conde 85’), Diarra, Mandjan, Nkeng, I. Simpara, D. Traore, M. Traore (Z. Simpara 89’)
Sundowns: Williams, Mudau, Kekana, Ndamane (Cupido 46’), Modiba, Mokoena, Allende (Mdunyelwa 81’), Adams, Santos (Lunga 80’), Sales (Matthews 63’), Rayners (Leon 63’)