Mokoena played through ligament injury in Sundowns’ MTN8 final win

Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Teboho Mokoena played through an injury to help his side beat Orlando Pirates 2-0 in the MTN8 final, head coach Miguel Cardoso has revealed.

The 29-year-old opened the scoring before Iqraam Rayners added a penalty as Sundowns dethroned Pirates as Wafa Wafa champions in Durban over the weekend.

Mokoena had only recently returned from international duty with Bafana Bafana, where he sustained an injury alongside Sundowns team-mates Aubrey Modiba and Bathusi Aubass.

He played in the 2027 AFCON qualifier against Guinea but missed the qualifier against Eritrea and the international friendly against Egypt.

The midfielder has also endured difficult personal circumstances. He revealed that his grandfather had died, while his brother is recovering in hospital after suffering multiple stabbing wounds.

Cardoso praised Mokoena’s determination to play despite his pain, saying the midfielder had suffered a problem involving his collateral ligament.

“But Teboho was different because he had a small distinction of his ligament, collateral ligament,” said Cardoso.

“And it’s from his first treatments and following treatments and his capacity to suffer that he could play because he’s not pain-free. So, he had to play with support in the pain.”

Cardoso acknowledged that Mokoena had not been able to train fully before the final and said the midfielder and Modiba struggled to find their rhythm early on.

“Obviously, we knew that he had not trained recently, and I think it was clear how he started the match. Him and Aubrey found it quite difficult to pick up the pace,” he said.

Despite those limitations, Cardoso said the two experienced players continued to contribute and praised Mokoena for completing the match.

“But they are high-profile players and he gave his best, and I think he finished the game very tired, but giving the best to the team,” he added.

“So, I’m a very happy coach to have players with that character, of course.”