Sundowns, undisputed kings of Premiership, lift trophy in style again

With a Champions League final first leg less than a week away, Mamelodi Sundowns could not go on all cylinders, but put on an exhibition match for their home supporters seeing off Magesi FC 2-0 in their final, trophy-lifting 2024-25 Betway Premiership clash.

Downs play the first leg of the Caf Champions League final against Pyramids FC at Loftus on Saturday (the second leg is in Cairo on June 1), so could not, as per tradition, end the Premiership season along with all the other sides in the coming Saturday’s final round.

They had wrapped up their remarkable, record-extending eighth successive title in midweek at any rate, so Sunday’s last league clash at Loftus predominantly served as celebration purposes and for the new Betway sponsorship era trophy to be presented.

Lucas Ribeiro’s brace in the fourth and 22nd minutes gave Downs a comfortable early lead that provided them the luxury of controlling the remainder of the clash with relative ease — exactly how the Pretoria side would have liked things, with the continental final on their minds.

It said something of their power forged over years of accumulated growth competing every season in the Champions League group and knockout stages, and with coach Miguel Cardoso’s arrival adding steel, that Downs equalled the 73-point record for the 16-team Premiership set under Rulani Mokwena last campaign.

They did that despite there being two games less in 2024-25 due to Royal AM’s expulsion. And also despite being pressurised much of the way by Jose Riveiro’s Orlando Pirates — one of the few combinations in recent years that could have kept pace with this winning machine — and reaching a first Champions League final since winning it in 2016.

As impressively, Downs set a new record for wins in a Premiership season for the 18-team, 34-game era, beating Manning Rangers' 23 in 1996-97 with 24 - in a 30-game season that was short of two of those.

Sundowns would have smashed the points record had they had two more matches.

Cardoso had the rare luxury for a coach of taking over a team at the top of the log — battles in the Champions League group stage and an embarrassing Carling Knockout final defeat against the same promoted Magesi led to predecessor Manqoba Mngqithi’s exit in December.

However, that Downs seemed to develop a harder edge under the 52-year-old Portuguese seems borne out by the records they set and equaled and path to the verge of continental glory.

Downs did not have to raise much of a sweat negotiating past a Magesi who, since coach Owen Da Gama took over in late December, have been in form, negotiating from last-placed relegation danger to comfort. The Limpopo side’s seven wins in 11 games, the last five unbeaten and including four victories in a row, had seen the Limpopo side move up to 12th place.

Cardoso’s side eased past them with a pleasant warm-up for Saturday’s first leg.

Downs’ two Premiership top scorers and the front duo who have delighted in feeding off each other, as much as their supports have in watching them do it, Iqraam Rayners and Brazilian Lucas Ribeiro, have been a major part of their success.

Rayners drew level with Ribeiro on 14 goals with his strike in Wednesday’s clinching 3-0 win against Chippa United in East London.

Ribeiro drew ahead by two again (going to 16) with his first-half brace on Sunday and Downs could have had more than a 2-0 lead at the break, striking the woodwork twice.

Soon after the start a trademark Downs passing movement opened Magesi, Arthur Sales finding Rayners to turn, his deflected shot finding the touch from Ribeiro past goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze.

Rayners was denied the chance to keep pace with Ribeiro as his header struck the left upright.

Moments later Downs had two. From a free-kick Neo Maema’s dummy run drew defenders off Ribeiro in the ‘D’, who controlled a low delivery that was marginally over-hit by Marcello Allende and calmly hit a sweetly-timed strike.

Downs hit the post again when Teboho Mokoena’s dipping free-kick beat Chipezeze onto the right upright.

The Brazilians spread the ball around in the second half, Magesi chasing shadows. With a Champions League final imminent, Sundowns paced themselves after the break.