After Mamelodi Sundowns missed the big opportunity to win their second CAF Champions League title, succumbing to stubborn Pyramids FC, their biggest issue could have been revealed.
Sundowns went down 2-1 in the second leg of the CAF Champions League final against Pyramids away in Cairo, eventually losing 3-2 on aggregate.
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Compared to Pyramids, the Tshwane giants also had more experience, after reaching the latter stages of the tournament over the years, consecutively.
Head coach Miguel Cardoso has been criticised for not picking the right players in the right moments, while question marks remain on why Lucas Ribeiro Costa has not lived up to expectations in the inter-club competition.
On the one hand, striker Fiston Mayele played a big role in Pyramids winning their maiden Champions League title, scoring nine goals, including one in the final and a brace against Orlando Pirates in the semi-finals.
The Brazilians, on the other hand, seemed to have come short of goals when needed the most, with their top three strikers - Ribeiro Costa, Iqraam Rayners, and Peter Shalulile - scoring 10 combined the entire continental campaign.
According to former Marumo Gallants coach Dylan Kerr, South African clubs don't invest enough in strikers.
"The constant rhetoric that coach (Nasreddine) Nabi always speaks about at (Kaizer) Chiefs, they dominate games but miss chances. Sundowns play football too much, they over-play, they don't take their chances," Kerr told KickOff.com.
"Pirates don't take their chances. (Up front) you don't know whether they're playing (Tshegofatso) Mabasa or (Evidence) Makgopa - one week is this one and the other week is that one. So, there's no consistency. Strikers need consistency. They need to play all the time.
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"PSL top scorer Ribeiro is on 16 goals? Shalulile, I don't even think he's on double figures. For Pirates to get beaten by Pyramids in the semi-finals, that was bad. Sundowns beaten in the final, that's bad," added the former pro footballer.
Photo: Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images
