Orlando Pirates secured third spot, Kaizer Chiefs finished in the top eight and Chippa United failed to move away from the relegation/play-off position (15th) after their 1-1 draw against SuperSport United on the final day of the DStv Premiership yesterday.
Pirates and Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) will represent SA in the Caf Confederation Cup next season after a dull goalless draw at Orlando Stadium in Soweto yesterday.
Samir Nurkovic gave Chiefs the needed three points in their 1-0 win over TS Galaxy in Mbombela to secure a date against league champions Mamelodi Sundowns in next year's MTN 8.
Nurkovic's 26th-minute strike earned Chiefs' caretaker coaches Arthur Zwane and Dillon Sheppard their second win in succession after a 3-2 victory against Golden Arrows on Wednesday. Before Gavin Hunt was fired on Friday Amakhosi had won twice in 16 league games.
A top eight place, as Chiefs (36 points, -3 goal difference) leapfrogged Galaxy (36, -5) in the battle for eighth, salvaged some pride from a poor 2020-21 for the Soweto giants, and there is still the Caf Champions League semifinal against Wydad Casablanca to be played.
Chiefs avoided matching their three worst finishes of ninth. TS Galaxy, the club who bought Highlands Park in September, finished ninth.
In the relegation battle Chippa United, who needed a win over SuperSport United at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium to escape 15th place and the promotion-relegation playoffs, could only draw 1-1.
Last-placed Black Leopards, who drew 1-1 against Bloemfontein Celtic at Thohoyandou Stadium, had already been outright relegated in Wednesday's penultimate round.
Chiefs ground out their win in mature fashion. In the opening half Amakhosi had not managed fluidity or penetration, so their goal came something out of nowhere, but was excellently taken. Reeve Frosler's long throw from the right came off the back of left-back MacBeth Mahlangu's head across the face of his goal, Nurkovic getting above his marker to bury the header.
Early in the second half Nurkovic's touch put Lebogang Manyama in on the left, and Galaxy were fortunate to escape a penalty appeal as there was contact from Luckyboy Mokoena as Chiefs' forward went down.
Amakhosi consolidated and stifled well, and had another chance, with 10 minutes left, when Nurkovic burst free on the right and crossed, the ball inches behind substitute Nkosingiphile Ngcobo with an open goal beckoning.
Bvuma kept out midfielder Sihle Mdluli's hard drive to keep his Amakhosi in the top eight.
Sundowns ended their near invincible Premiership campaign with a flourish by convincingly defeating Cape Town City 3-0 at Loftus.
For the Brazilians, who were presented with the trophy, it was a memorable season as they became the first team since the advent of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) in 1996 to win the league title for four successive seasons.
To illustrate their dominance during this season in which they also reached the knockout stages of the Champions League, they wrapped up this championship 10 days ago with three matches to spare.
Sundowns opened the scoring via Lyle Lakay early in the first half and wrapped it up in the closing stages when the irrepressible Peter Shalulie drilled in his 14th and 15th goals of the season as City ended their season in seventh.
The Brazilians ended this season having lost only one match, to Chiefs, and that defeat denied them what could have been an unprecedented feat of a PSL team going the entire season without a loss.
Sundowns' ended with 19 wins, 10 draws one loss and 49 goals and they also boast the best defensive record having conceded only 14 goals and their main goalkeeper, Denis Onyango, having recorded 15 clean sheets.
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