USM Alger claimed their second CAF Super Cup title on Sunday, defeating defending TotalEnergies CAF Champions League holders Mamelodi Sundowns 3-1 at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria. Ahmed Khaldi delivered an inspired display — scoring once and creating another — to steer the Algerian club to a commanding victory on South African soil.

Khaldi and Draoui fire Algerians ahead

USM Alger wasted no time, taking the lead inside four minutes. Khaldi drove into the penalty area from the right, shrugged off a challenge, and rolled a low cross for Zakaria Draoui to tap in from close range. The early strike forced Sundowns into an immediate rearguard battle in front of their own supporters.

Sundowns had already been dealt a blow before kick-off when Portuguese midfielder Nuno Santos pulled up injured during the warm-up. Coach Miguel Cardoso brought Cassius Mailula into the starting eleven as a replacement, only to suffer another setback when striker Brayan León limped off with a suspected groin injury inside 15 minutes.

León's replacement, Iqraam Rayners, made an almost instant impression. A handball was spotted following a VAR review, and Rayners stepped up to convert the resulting penalty in the 25th minute, sending goalkeeper Oussama Benbot the wrong way to level the scores.

The equaliser galvanised Sundowns, and Thapelo Morena came close to putting the hosts ahead from Mailula's delivery — only for Benbot to produce a vital save to maintain parity.

Radouani header restores Algerian advantage

USM Alger punished that squandered opportunity before the break. A corner kick led to an initial header that struck the crossbar, and Saadi Radouani reacted fastest to the rebound, heading home in the 37th minute to restore the Algerians' lead. The sides went into half-time with USM Alger ahead 2-1.

Khaldi's superb strike seals the trophy

The second half was briefly delayed by poor weather conditions, but USM Alger resumed with the same attacking intent. In the 55th minute, Khaldi found space on the edge of the area, cut inside, and curled an exquisite shot into the far corner beyond Ronwen Williams. It was the decisive moment of the match.

Sundowns pressed for a route back into the contest. Teboho Mokoena tried his luck from distance, while Tashreeq Matthews and substitute Antonio van Wyk also threatened — but a disciplined Algerian defensive unit refused to yield. Khaldi might have added a fourth, only for Williams to tip his powerful volley away with an impressive fingertip save. Williams also denied Dramane Kamagaté with a low diving stop in the final quarter of the match.

Sundowns believed they had reduced the deficit late on when the ball crossed the goal line, but VAR determined that the ball had gone out of play earlier in the same move, ruling out the effort. That ruling ended any realistic hope of a Sundowns comeback, and USM Alger saw out the remaining minutes to lift the trophy.

A defining moment for USM Alger's continental legacy

The result sees USM Alger add the CAF Super Cup to the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup they won against Zamalek on penalties last season. Sunday's victory is their second Super Cup title — following their 2023 triumph — and earns the club USD 500,000 in prize money.

The win extends a remarkable run for Confederation Cup holders in this fixture: four of the last five CAF Super Cups have been won by TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup champions, with Egypt's Pyramids FC the only TotalEnergies CAF Champions League winner to claim the trophy in that period.

For Sundowns, the defeat compounds a difficult stretch. Despite winning the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League by beating Morocco's AS FAR in the final, the South African giants were eliminated from the 2026/27 edition in the qualifying rounds by Angola's Wiliete SC — meaning they will not defend their title in this season's Group Stage.