What's next for Sundowns? A treble is on the cards for PSL champions

SPORT

After wrapping up an unprecedented seventh successive DStv Premiership title, winning a treble of trophies will be uppermost in the minds of Mamelodi Sundowns players and their coach Rulani Mokwena.

Sundowns demolished Kaizer Chiefs 5-1 at the FNB Stadium on Thursday to win a record extending 14^th premiership title since the PSL was established in 1996.

All the five goals were scored by Downs new recruits as Chiefs offered little resistance.

Two goals from Tashreeq Matthews, a goal apiece by Matías Esquivel, Lucas Ribeiro and Thembinkosi Lorch piled on the misery for the struggling Amakhosi, who got a consolation goal from a penalty converted by Mduduzi Shabalala.

It was always going to be an uphill battle for Chiefs after they lost centreback Given Msimango in the 19^th minute through a red card. After a goalless first half, Mathews’s 52^nd minute strike burst the Chiefs bubble and opened the floodgates, with Esquivel scoring four minutes later.

Mathews completed his brace in the 82^nd minute before Shabalala’s penalty goal, which was followed by two more late goals from Ribeiro in the 90^th and Lorch in the 94^th.

The visitors from Pretoria sprayed champagne in the backyard of their old rival as Downs reached an unassailable 62 points, winning the title with six matches remaining.

The motivation in their remaining games will be to break their own record of 71 points, which they achieved under previous coach Pitso Mosimane in the 2015/16 season. They will want to surpass that record.

Unbeaten in 24 league matches, Mokwena and his players are determined to become the "invincibles" of South African football and finish the season without losing a single match. 

The Brazilians will now invest their energies in their Nedbank Cup semifinal away to Stellenbosch on Sunday. Having pocketed R74 million after winning the inaugural African Football League in November, Downs will be eager to add the R7 million Nedbank Cup to the R15 million they will receive for their domestic league title win.

Despite crashing out in the semifinals of the CAF Champions League, a title Mokwena and the Sundowns hierarchy are obsessed with winning, the 37-year-old coach can beat his chest for a job well done.

If they beat Stellenbosch on Sunday, Downs will meet the winner between Chippa United and Orlando Pirates in the other Nedbank Cup semifinal.