Sundowns seek treble to complete dominant domestic season

Mamelodi Sundowns will be seeking to complete a domestic treble this season when they take on Marumo Gallants in the Nedbank Cup final at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace on May 28.

The Brazilians breezed to the DStv Premiership title with four rounds to spare, and claimed the MTN8 trophy at the start of the campaign with a hard-fought penalty shoot-out victory over Cape Town City.

Now they stand tantalisingly on the cusp of another trophy to complete the domestic set with a Nedbank Cup decider against holders Marumo Gallants and their wily coach Dan Malesela.

Three trophies in one season would not be unprecedented for Sundowns. They claimed their maiden treble with an excellent 1988 season in which they won the league title by a point from Jomo Cosmos, and lifted the BP Top 8 with a 1-0 victory over Arcadia in a final replay. The first two legs had resulted in a 2-2 aggregate score. They added the Ohlsson’s Challenge to their haul, also secured via a 1-0 win over Arcadia.

That feat was repeated in 1990 as they claimed a second treble in three years with a league title triumph as they edged Chiefs into second by two points. They thumped Wits 5-0 on aggregate in the final of the BP Top 8 and edged Pirates 2-1 on aggregate in the decider for the John Player Special Knockout Cup.

It would be a long wait for another season as successful as that though. Their most recent domestic treble was won in the last season in which coach Pitso Mosimane was in charge of the side before he left for Al Ahly.

It was also the last time the Telkom Knockout would be played before it was scrapped, cutting the number of domestic knockout trophies down to the current two.

Sundowns defeated Maritzburg United 2-1 in the final of that competition, before edging Chiefs on a dramatic final day of the league campaign when the latter were held to a 1-1 draw by lowly Baroka FC.

Sundowns completed their treble with a 1-0 victory over Bloemfontein Celtic in the Nedbank Cup final, played behind closed doors in the Gauteng bio-bubble.

Given that there are now only three domestic trophies on offer, it has become a harder feat, but the fact they also have a treble of top coaches in their ranks makes it a little easier.

Manqoba Mngqithi has never lifted the title before as a head coach, though he was assistant at Sundowns when they won in 2015 and 2020.

The same goes for Rhulani Mokwena, whose time at the club also started around the same time as Mngqithi, though of course he spent a spell away at Orlando Pirates and Chippa United.

Senior coach Steve Komphela only joined Sundowns after that 2020 triumph, so he will be seeking to lay his hands on the Nedbank Cup for the first time.

It has been a relatively gentle road to the final for Sundowns this year having faced two teams from the third tier of South African football.

GladAfrica Championship side Richards Bay had beaten Kaizer Chiefs in the Last 32 in 2021, so might have fancied their chances of another upset, especially as they had good league form coming into the game.

But Sundowns were at their ruthless best and schooled the KwaZulu-Natal club in the level needed to be an elite league club.

Surprise Ralani, only recently arrived from Cape Town City in the January transfer window, put Sundowns ahead midway through the first half. Rushine de Reuck got a fare goal to make it 2-0 early in the second period and from there it was likely there would be only one winner.

Pavol Safranko and the deadly Peter Shalulile added further strikes for the visitors.

Sundowns then faced Free State ABC Motsepe League side Mathaithai in the second round and while to took them a little time to click into gear after a fast start, ended up with a 6-0 rout.

Once again it was Ralani who set them on their way with the opener inside two minutes. Themba Zwane added a second just two minutes after that. At that stage it looked as though Sundowns might hit double-figures, but credit to Mathaithai, they dug in and made it difficult for the Tshwane giants.

It wasn’t until the 66th minute that Sundowns got a third, Thabiso Kutumela netting the first of two he would score in the game.

The Brazilians added two more late on as Lebohang Maboe, in his first game back from long-term injury, scored, before Andile Jali added the cherry on top.

Sundowns mixed it up with another much-changed team as they took on KwaZulu-Natal ABC Motsepe League side Summerfield Dynamos in the quarterfinals, but once again were far too strong for their opponents.

They raced into a two-goal lead inside 12 minutes and as the rain pelted down, it looked as though the floodgates would open. Gaston Sirino, who netted the winner in the 2020 Nedbank Cup final against Bloemfontein Celtic, scored his first goal since October with the opener, before Lesedi Kapinga added a second with a cool finish.

Dynamos did not create much, but they did hit the post on 50 minutes as Samkele Ngubane rounded goalkeeper Ricardo Goss but struck the woodwork with his shot.

Kermit Erasmus profited from some poor passing at the back to slot his shot into the corner of the net after being teed up by Sirino, and then added a second with a brilliant finish at the near post, volleying the ball into the roof of the net.

Safranko came off the bench for his first appearance in a month following injury and minutes later he headed a fifth for the home side.

Aubrey Modiba and Safranko then scored as Sundowns sealed a place in the decider with a 2-1 semifinal victory over hosts Royal AM.

Sundowns were denied a penalty just past the hour mark when Safranko was bundled over just inside the box. Referee Victor Hlungwani was sure it was a foul, but after he consulted his assistant referee, ruled the first contact was outside the box.

But from the resultant free-kick they took the lead as Modiba saw his shot go through the wall and deflect into the net, leaving home goalkeeper Hugo Nyame with no chance.

The home side were level 10 minutes later and it was veteran Thabo Matlaba who blasted a shot past Sundowns keeper Denis Onyango, the fourth goalkeeper in four games Sundowns have used this season.

But that joy lasted just three minutes before Sundowns took the lead again as Royal AM pressed the self-destruct button.

Goalkeeper Hugo Nyame and defender Tshepo Rikhotso tried to pass out from the back, but when Shalulile blocked Nyame’s pass as the latter dallied on the ball, it fell to Safranko, who applied a calm finish.