Mamelodi Sundowns seal their quarterfinal place in the Caf Champions League competition with Brayan Leone scoring a brace in a fierce match at Loftus

Brayan Leone’s brace against MC Alger powered Mamelodi Sundowns into the Caf Champions League quarterfinals.

The Columbian striker scored when it mattered most for Sundowns in a fierce battle against the North Africans at Loftus Versveld.

Leone goals came in the first and second half as Sundowns registered a 2-0 win and a second place finish in Group C behind Al Hilal who topped the group.

This victory against MC Alger sealed Sundowns’ place in the last eight for the eighth consecutive season in the Caf Champions League.

Tensions were also high throughout this game given that MC Alger are coached by Rulani Mokwena, who was also Sundowns coach at some stage of his coaching career.

Last week, Mokwena’s name was implicated in the leaking saga which rocked Sundowns, as performance analyst Mario Masha allegedly leaked Sundowns’ tactics to the former Wydad Casablanca man.

Mokwena defended that stance on that and mentioned he never ‘spied’ on Miguel Cardoso’s men.

But the quarterfinal place will also be a relief for Sundowns Portuguese-born coach, Cardoso, as he has been under tremendous pressure.