Edited by: Mamaili Mamaila
Premier Soccer League (PSL) defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club (Sundowns) have finally shaved off their long-standing MTN 8 torment by clinching the title for only the second time in the PSL era.
The draining final showcase took place on Saturday, October 30, 2021, at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in KwaZulu-Natal, against Cape Town City Football Club (City) – the more recent winners of the knockout competition between the two sides, having won it 2018.
The first 20 minutes of the match were nothing short of an intense pressing exhibition. Both teams hunted each other in packs when each tried to play out from the back. As such, this led to both teams conceding possession in dangerous positions, although nothing clear was created. The opening goal, which was scored in the 24th minute, did, however, not materialise because of collective pressing.
Sundowns forward Thabiso Kutumela chased a lost cause after City defender Taariq Felies won the ball which he was trying to clear it on City’s left flank. Kutumela’s persistence, however, saw him block the clearance which then presented him with a chance to drive into the centre of City’s defence and lay on an assist for Sundowns midfielder Thapelo Morena, leaving the Capetonian’s defence in total disarray.
Meanwhile, the importance of Sundowns goalkeeper Dennis Onyango was again on display when City looked to hit back immediately after conceding. For instance, in a one-on-one with City forward Fagrie Lakay, Onyango managed to pull off a brilliant save. Therefore, even with the club’s ability to create chances out of nothing, a strong last line of defence was still critical.
From the 35th minute, both teams began to ease their pressing in the opposition half, and they could comfortably build from the back. This allowed City and Sundowns to create chances that both teams failed to convert. The most notable of these chances was when City fullback Thamsanqa Mkhize was put clean through on the right and he ballooned his shot over the bar on the near post when a cross or a low shot across the goal might have sufficed.
Second Half
Both teams continued with the slack and uncoordinated pressing in the first 15 minutes of the second half as they had done in the last 15 minutes of the first half. This allowed both teams to create very good scoring chances through their build-up play, but Onyango and City goalkeeper Hugo Marques stood tall in the respective goals. With City running out of steam and pressing with less ferocity, Sundowns began to play around them beautifully. Sundowns midfielder Themba Zwane, as well as Morena missed glorious chances in quick succession around the 65th minute after exquisite passing moves that left the City midfield and defence mesmerised.
As expected in a showcase of this nature, the missed chances would be greatly regretted by Sundowns. City’s double substitution that saw the introduction of defender Terrence Mashego and midfielder Mpho Makola in place of right-back Craig Martin and midfielder Mduduzi Mdantsane respectively – in addition to the substitution of midfielder Thabo Nodada by attacking midfielder Abdul Ajagun 10 minutes earlier – saw the club play with energy and close Sundowns down in their own half yet again.
It was these very substitutions that gave the City midfield impetus and the club began to play on the front foot, which led them to create a beautiful move around the Sundowns box. This managed to remove the shackles from Lakay, allowing him to score a brilliant equalising goal. Further, City dominated the last 10 minutes of regulation time without really creating clear goal-scoring chances and it was inevitable that the game would go to extra time, ultimately leading to a two-three win in favour of Sundowns, after a drawn-out and anxiety-inducing penalty shootout.
Key Takeaways
The biggest takeaway from the game was the impact that pressing, by both teams, had on how the game unfolded. When both teams were pressing ferociously, it was very hard for them to play their usual patient build-up game from the back. Their goal-scoring chances were created through them forcing errors from one another. However, when both teams inevitably tired and pressed less in the middle 30 minutes of the game, Sundowns’ greater individual quality shone through.
Additionally, the team should have wrapped up the game at this stage, as Zwane, midfielder Rivaldo Coetzee and Morena who, astonishingly, played as a number 10, heavily challenged City. Notably, when City refreshed their midfield and began to press yet again, Sundowns ultimately had no answers for them.
Moreover, when City gained ascendency in the last 20 minutes of the game through their midfield dominance, Sundowns still had no answers for them. This ultimately meant that the best that the team could do was restrict City to half chances. What this highlighted on behalf of Sundowns, was the importance of having a player like midfielder Mothobi Mvala as an option off the bench to regain the impetus when the opposition manages to wrestle control away from the team.
Overall, Sundowns were the deserved winners of the 2021 MTN 8 cup in a game that showcased their quality, while highlighting some key vulnerabilities within their system.
Leave a Reply