Mamelodi Sundowns target Betway Premiership dominance after opening-day win

Mamelodi Sundowns have made reclaiming the Betway Premiership title a central priority after beginning their new campaign with a 3-2 victory over TS Galaxy at Mbombela Stadium.

The Brazilians were beaten to the league championship by Orlando Pirates last season, despite winning the CAF Champions League. Their focus now extends beyond simply regaining the domestic trophy, with coach Miguel Cardoso saying the club wants to restore its long-standing dominance of South African football.

Sundowns needed a late double from substitute Sphelele Mkhulise to overcome TS Galaxy on Tuesday night. Brayan Leon, starting his first full season with the club, also opened his scoring account for Sundowns in the match.

The performance was not entirely convincing, but Cardoso was satisfied with the result and its effect on the squad’s confidence. Sundowns now have 29 league matches remaining in their attempt to recover the title.

The club have won a record eight successive league championships in the past and regard the domestic crown as the biggest prize available to a South African side. Their stated objective is to compete for every trophy, meaning last season’s continental success was tempered by the failure to win the league.

“It’s obviously our intention to fight for the league, and compete as best we can,” Cardoso admitted. “The energy we invest must reflect our commitment to the title race.”

“It’s not about how we lost it before; it’s about our ambition to dominate South African football. We have to do it for the history of the club. We didn’t win the league last year, but there was a great deal we had to fight through throughout the competition.”

The win also helped settle the mood around the squad after a difficult start to the season. Sundowns had opened their campaign in the MTN8 quarter-finals only days earlier, with the team still affected by the death of midfielder Jayden Adams.

Adams was unavailable for the meeting with The Rockets, while Teboho Mokoena missed the game because of injury. Cardoso said those absences forced Sundowns to adjust their midfield structure and created the circumstances in which Mkhulise had to provide a decisive contribution from the bench.

“Our midfield last season was controlled by Jayden, Teboho, and Marcelo (Allende),” Cardoso said. “When you are missing two of them simultaneously, the team obviously has to reorganise and find a new dynamic.”

Cardoso described Adams’ death as tragic and untimely, but believes Mokoena’s injury may have been prevented. The midfielder was hurt by a heavy challenge during Sundowns’ 3-2 MTN8 quarter-final victory over Polokwane City on Saturday.

The Portuguese coach used the incident to renew his call for the introduction of VAR in South African football. He said improved officiating was needed to protect players, particularly those regarded as important figures in the national team and the senior football environment.

“I think it’s important for South Africans to acknowledge that we still need to protect the players,” Cardoso said. “We cannot have a situation where Teboho, who was a national hero at the World Cup, returns for his first match at home and we allow such aggression against him.”

“I am not sure if you saw, but the injury inflicted on Teboho was a very rough one. The player who fouled him was not even shown a yellow card. There were many situations in the last match where the players needed protection.”

For Sundowns, the immediate priority is to build on the narrow win over TS Galaxy and turn their ambition to dominate South African football into another sustained league challenge.