Five reasons why Sundowns won the league

Kaizer Chiefs dominated the Absa Premiership at the beginning of the season, winning week in and week out but the final day of the season belonged to Mamelodi Sundowns as the footballing gods decided to give them the championship title, much to the dismay of Amakhosi.

READ: Five reasons why Kaizer Chiefs failed to win league title

After Downs claimed a third title on the trot as Amakhosi blew it, making head coach Pitso Mosimane the most decorated coach in the Premiership as he added his fifth title to his glittery trophy cabinet.

We take a look at how Sundowns won their La Decima (10^th title) in the Premier Soccer League era.

Never say die attitude

There was a point where Sundowns were trailing Chiefs by some 13 points and it seemed as though Amakhosi would run away with the Premiership but Masandawana did not throw in the towel. Time and time again head coach Pitso Mosimane said his team would not surrender their title to Chiefs, insisting that they will push them until the very end. The Brazilians lost to Baroka FC and that loss seemed to have dealt a huge blow on Downs’ title aspirations but their never-say-die spirit spurred them to pip Chiefs to the trophy.

Experience under pressure

They might have failed to do it when at that, against Baroka, Sundowns had to win to take charge of their fate in what was a thrilling race for league honours, but Downs did it when it mattered most. In their final match against Black Leopards, the Brazilians were completely ruthless, giving Lidoda Duvha no chance whatsoever. Sundowns pressed Leopards so high throughout the game in search of as many goals as they needed. In the end the number of goals did not matter as Chiefs drew, but playing with that mentality proved their championship-winning credentials.

Playing for pride paid off   

The goal was to play for the badge and go out with their heads held up high in the event that the Glamour Boys won their match against Bakgaga. Downs head coach Pitso Mosimane had reiterated that they won’t go down without a fight and even if they do go down, they will play for the pride of the badge and be competitive even in the face of defeat. Sundowns wanted to go out with a bang and that ensured that they walked away with a massive and impressive win. Imagine a scenario where they took the foot off the paddle and ended up losing or drawing – the title would be in Naturena right now.

Chiefs don’t have winning mentality

In the past five seasons Chiefs have not won anything and that is where Downs had an edge. Sundowns had to win the league on the last day in the previous season and they know how to get the job done when they really need to, particularly when it comes to the league. On other hand, Amakhosi don’t have the know-how, they simply don’t have the blueprint anymore. Chiefs’s failure to close the game and protect their lead against Baroka while Masandawana were able to grab their match by the balls and demolish Leopards was the big difference on the final day and subsequently won them the La Decima.

Lady luck

Simply put, sometimes situations are in your hands and in other cases, you just hope and pray that things somehow tilt towards your advantage without having a hand to it. It was the case with Sundowns as the football gods decided to smile upon the Chloorkop-based side. The league race was never quite in the hands of Sundowns. It was all for Amakhosi to lose and they squandered it, making it easier for Downs to claim it for the third time in a row and the 10^th time in the Premier Soccer League era. Lady luck swung her wand on Sundowns’ alley at the expense of Chiefs’ heartbreak.

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