Downs are champions of the premiership
JOBURG - The new kings of the Absa Premiership 2015/16 season, Mamelodi Sundowns, will only be officially crowned champions in two weeks time.
Mamelodi Sundowns emerged as the winners of the 2015/16 season of the Absa Premiership after they walloped relegation threatened University of Pretoria by 3–0 at the Tuks Stadium.
The Yellow Machine not only dethroned Kaizer Chiefs from the crown who were runaway winners of the previous season but emphatically beat the Amakhosi this season.
The Brazilians and the Amakhosi met twice in the Absa Premiership, the first encounter was a 0-0 draw and the second one Downs emerged victorious with 3-0, one of the goals being the famous own goal by their hard man Willard Katsande, who not only scored but was the source of the free kick as well after he fouled Keagan Dolly just outside the box.
Sundowns and Chiefs met again in the Telkom Knockout final Durban, and again the Brazilians were victorious with a 3-0 score line. Now they have been dethroned from the seat of royalty in the Absa Premiership after dismally failing to defend the trophy in a season they would love to forget quicker than they wish.
Another Soweto victim of the Yellow Machine was Orlando Pirates. Downs and the Buccaneers met twice in the season and the Brazilians walloped them in both occasions. The two met again in the Nedbank Cup quarter finals and the Buccaneers managed to get a consolation win of 2-0.
Sundowns went on to beat its Tshwane crosstown rivals, SuperSport United and AmaTuks [University of Pretoria], on both legs each of the premiership. But Downs had their own embarrassing moment of the season when they clobbered 5-0 by the on-and-off Bloemfontein Celtic.
On the night of 4 May, AmaTuks were single-handedly demolished by one man, Liberian Anthony Laffor, who scored the hat-trick that saw Downs clinch the championship by 3-0.
All in all though, it was a season that Down mentor Pitso Mosimane will cherish for a very long time to come, as he started the season very slowly and the fans had already demanded his head before he turned his fortunes in the club around.
The very same fans who had called for his head at the beginning of the season were now singing his praises when his well-oiled machine started raking-in the points like a mad man. Mosimane can sleep peacefully this off-season knowing that he beat the two Soweto giants back to back in the 2015/16 season.
Although Mosimane’s boys emerged victorious in the premiership on the night of 4 May, they will only officially be crowned champions on the last game of the season, which 21 May when they face their title rivals, Bidvest Wits.
