Four finals, four trophies, four years of Pirates fans owning this competition. On Saturday night in a sold-out Moses Mabhida, Masandawana finally took it back. The MTN8 final result was Mamelodi Sundowns 2-0 Orlando Pirates, and the Buccaneers’ run is over.
It is Sundowns’ first MTN8 since 2021 and, IOL and The Citizen report, their fifth in all. It is also their first major domestic cup since the 2022 Nedbank Cup. For a club of Sundowns’ standing, that gap had started to sting.
MTN8 final result: how Sundowns won it
The goal came inside the first quarter of an hour. Thabang Matuludi backheeled the ball into the path of Teboho Mokoena, who finished from close range past Sipho Chaine.
That it was Mokoena mattered. He and Aubrey Modiba were both late fitness calls after knocks on Bafana Bafana duty, and both started. Miguel Cardoso admitted afterwards, The Citizen reported, that Sundowns had prepared without expecting either of them to make the game.
Pirates were kept in the first half by their goalkeeper: iDiski Times counted four clear-cut saves from Chaine before the break. Tempers boiled over just before half-time, when a scuffle brought both benches onto the field. Pirates also lost Kamogelo Sebelebele to injury on the stroke of half-time. Oswin Appollis replaced him, and Divine Lunga came on for Modiba at the restart.
Williams and the save that turned the final
Just past the hour, Pirates had their way back in. Mokoena was penalised for a shove on Yanela Mbuthuma in the box, and Gamphani Lungu stepped up. Ronwen Williams pushed the kick onto the post.
Mokoena had been at both ends of the story by then: the goal that put Sundowns ahead, and the shove that gave Pirates their chance. Williams made sure only one of them counted.
Here is the thing about cup finals. A 1-1 with half an hour left is a different match entirely, against a side that had won the previous four of these. Williams took that version of the night away, and kept Pirates out as they pressed late on.
Then, deep in stoppage time, it was settled. Siyanda Ndlovu went down in the box, and Iqraam Rayners scored the penalty for 2-0.
What Cardoso said
Cardoso, speaking to SuperSport TV and quoted by The Citizen, gave Pirates their due. “It is very difficult to play Pirates and very difficult to get two goals without conceding,” he said.
He handed the night to the supporters who filled the stadium. “All the people here (in Durban) deserve it. They came in numbers.” And he would not let anyone run ahead of themselves: “Now we have to keep humble and work hard, we have achieved nothing yet.”
No post-match comments from Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou had been published when this report was filed.
Why it matters
Pirates have owned the MTN8 in recent years. This was their fifth final in a row, and our preview set out what a fifth straight title would have meant. They were one saved penalty away from levelling it.
For Cardoso, it is the domestic cup his Sundowns had been missing, and it answers the question we asked in Beyond the Score about what this final meant for both coaches. Everything else on the champions’ season lives on our Sundowns page.
What comes next
Both clubs turn to Africa. In the CAF Champions League second preliminary round, Sundowns face Wiliete of Angola and Pirates meet African Stars of Namibia, with first legs on 16 to 18 October and return legs on 23 to 25 October, according to CAF. The day of each tie has not been confirmed yet.
Sundowns go into that with a trophy already in the cabinet. Pirates go in having lost an MTN8 final after winning the previous four, and with a quick chance to answer.