Mamelodi Sundowns wins 22nd title in the PSL era

Mamelodi Sundowns co-head coach Rulani Mokwena tried all week to tell everyone how dangerous Eric Tinkler’s Cape Town City will be against them in the MTN8 final.

He wasn’t far off. City nearly spoilt Sundowns’ party in Durban yesterday.

The Brazilians had to endure a nervy penalty shoot-out to lay their hands on this top-eight trophy that they had only won once, in 2007, since the launch of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) in 1996-97.

It’s their 20th trophy in the domestic league, with Kaizer Chiefs next with 18 in 25 years of PSL football.

That the Brazilians captured this trophy was largely due to their skipper and goalkeeper Denis Onyango who pulled off five saves in the penalty shoot-out in an often ugly and clumsy final that ended 1-1 after 120 minutes.

Before kick off Mokwena had pointed to City’s 15 goals in all competition and listed City players Mduduzi Mdatsane, Surprise Ralani and Fagrie Lakay as the most potent strike force in the PSL.

But Mokwena did not mention his own deadly attackers, led by Namibian jewel Peter Shalulile. Shalulile and company were, however, off the pace in yesterday’s match.

Perhaps it’s because of how Sundowns have started this season.

The Brazilians are sitting pretty at the top of the DStv Premiership, four points clear of Stellenbosch FC with a game in hand. Both sides have scored 12 goals. But everyone knows who's got the stamina for the remaining rounds — Mokwena's team.

And that’s because we know Gavin Barker’s Stellenbosch and others are just going to remain pretenders to the throne that has been Sundowns’ in the past four campaigns.

With Onyango on top of his game, Sundowns have not conceded any goals in seven league matches and they dispatched Kaizer Chiefs and Lamontville Golden Arrows without much sweat to face Tinkler’s team in the final.

It has become a routine, with both Chiefs and Orlando Pirates — the two most supported clubs in the country — nowhere near Sundowns.

In the past six years in which Chiefs and Pirates have won one trophy combined, Sundowns have won 10.

Amakhosi, who earned their moniker because of the way they were winning everything in the local game before the launch of the PSL in 1996-97, are only two trophies behind Sundowns largely because of their eight Telkom Knockout triumphs.

Like everyone, Chiefs have looked on with envy as Sundowns won the league title four times in a row, a period which is part of the six years that Kaizer Motaung’s side have added nothing to their trophy cabinet.

Pirates are worse.

The Buccaneers last won the league, their fourth overall, in May 2012 and are now eight points off Sundowns’ pace in the Premiership. Chiefs are no better.

When Pirates meet Chiefs next Saturday in a league tie they’ll be fighting for nothing other than the usual local derby bragging rights.

The reality is that the Soweto teams, who have jointly collected only four points against a Royal AM side which only confirmed their arrival in the top flight a couple of days before the start of the season, are a shadow of themselves.

For eight years under former coach Pitso Mosimane, Sundowns won everything but the trophy they won yesterday.

But that’s an issue because the big prize for the Brazilians has always been the league which gives them the ticket to be part of the Champions League, the competition they won with Mosimane in 2016.

It is against the big north African teams in the Champions League that Sundowns have come unstuck. Mosimane left to join Ahly last year having not found a way to match some of the big north African teams.

It is that Mokwena should be worried about. Not Tinkler’s City.