Mamelodi Sundowns’ latest cup final misery has left them scratching their heads about their cup finals failures, which continue to haunt them.
Sundowns went up the podium as runners-up in Cairo on Sunday after going down 2-1 to Pyramids FC in the CAF Champions League final at 30 June Stadium on Sunday.
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That defeat means they have now lost four cup finals in a row from when they lost to Orlando Pirates in the 2023 MTN8 final.
The Brazilians came second to the Soweto giants again in the 2024 Nedbank Cup, then lost to Magesi FC in the Carling Knockout final just under six months later.
This now brings to 17 the number of times Sundowns have walked away sad after a final from the 30 finals which they have reached since August 1996 when the modern-day PSL took effect.
Could the league champions now be perennial bridesmaids of note in cup finals considering that they have lost (17) more than they have won (13)?
On the domestic front, Sundowns have played 25 cup finals and won 10.
Their first final in the PSL era years was the 1997 Rothmans Cup against Kaizer Chiefs, which needed a midweek replay to produce a winner.
After Raphael Chukwu’s late equaliser, Themba Mnguni, Joas Magolego, and Isaac Shai missed from the spot to hand Amakhosi the first of two Rothmans Cups against the same opposition.
The Tshwane giants have been runners-up five times in this competition exclusively reserved for the top-tier league clubs.
They have also gone away with silver in the Nedbank Cup (national cup) on another five occasions, just like the MTN8, pushing their second-best position in domestic cup finals to 15.
In CAF club competitions, they lost the 2001 Champions League final and have again had no joy this year.
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This puts their cup final success at 43%.
Of interest is that Sundowns have won the league (15) more than they have won cup competitions, which keeps them top of the success ranks with 28 trophies in total.
