Sundowns complete treble as they beat 10-man Gallants

A late extra-time Thapelo Morena goal earned Mamelodi Sundowns the treble as they beat 10-man Marumo Gallants 2-1 in a pulsating Nedbank Cup final played at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg.

The recently-crowned DStv Premiership champions had to toil all evening to add the Nedbank to their MTN8 trophy won earlier this season. Saturday evening’s final was no stroll in the park as the Limpopo side took the game to them. Gallants had a dominant first half, enjoying lots of possession as they knocked the ball around.

However, a Shalulile strike in the 33rd minute was enough to deflate their resolve in the late stages of the opening and second half, with play evened out. The Dan Malesela-coached side got their equaliser in the 75th minute through a Junior Dion close header.

Immediately after the equaliser, the Limpopo outfit surged forward, searching for the winner.

Katlego Otladisa had an opportunity to increase the lead three minutes later with Kennedy Mweene out of his goal line, but his chipped attempt missed the target by a few inches.

Shalulile had a chance to grab the winner for Masandawana, but his attempt missed the target with just nine minutes to go.

The two teams went into extra time deadlocked at 1-1. Philip Ndlondlo, who celebrated his 27th birthday, picked a second bookable offence late in extra time and was sent off.

With their opponents one man short, Sundowns used their advantage, constantly attacking until substitutes Themba Zwane and Thapelo Morena combined to get them the winning goal. Zwane set up Morena, who made no mistake from close range, in the 120th minute.

The victory meant Sandawana ended the season on a high note after capturing their third trophy.