It was a day of jubilation at Loftus Versfeld Stadium as Mamelodi Sundowns fittingly marked their coronation in the Premiership with a display of champagne football.
Sunday’s match was Sundowns’ final Premiership fixture, and they closed the season with a 2–0 win over Magesi, who extended the traditional guard of honour to the freshly crowned league champions before kick-off.
Sundowns’ mentor, Miguel Cardoso, featured his two leading scorers in the starting XI. That ignited the fiery contest for the league’s Golden Boot, with Iqraam Rayners and Brazilian Lucas Ribeiro vying for the prestigious accolade, each on 14 goals at the start.
Four minutes into the match, Ribeiro scored to edge ahead with 15 goals, while moments later, Rayners struck the woodwork (1–0).
Ribeiro had the fans roaring in approval as he netted his second goal in the 20th minute, by which time the disheartened Magesi defence appeared to be caught in a whirlwind. By half-time, Sundowns’ efforts were worth at least five goals, and their dominance prompted television analyst Teko Modise to remark: “Magesi have been chasing shadows.”
When second-half play resumed, Sundowns continued to impose themselves on the match, and Magesi were forced to settle into a defensive role. The Magesi rearguard did well to prevent further damage, and they breathed a sigh of relief at the hour mark when Cardoso withdrew his leading scorers, Ribeiro (16 goals) and Rayners (14 goals), thereby settling the Golden Boot race.
These substitutions were likely made with next week’s CAF Champions League final first-leg clash against Pyramids in mind.
Despite their second-half dominance, Sundowns fired blanks and had to settle for Ribeiro’s brace to steer them to victory in their final league match.
After the match, Sundowns were officially crowned the inaugural Betway Premiership champions amid jubilant celebrations. They were presented with the new Betway Premiership Trophy – a majestic creation by renowned South African artist Nelson Makamo.
