Mamelodi Sundowns were crowned the champions of the inaugural AFL [African Football League] on Sunday after defeating Moroccan giants Wydad AC 2-0 in the second leg of the final at a fully packed Loftus Versfeld Stadium.
Peter Shalulile and Aubrey Modiba were on the scoresheet for the reigning DStv Premiership champions, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Heading into the encounter, the Tshwane giants were on the back foot. They lost the first leg of the final 2-1 last week in Casablanca.
However, Sundowns put in a good performance in front of the Yellow Nation to win the tie 3-2 on aggregate.
Below are the four talking points as Masandawana became the first team to win the AFL title.
SOLD OUT LOFTUS VERSFELD STADIUM
The Yellow Nation came out in large numbers to support their team as it was a sold-out affair in Pretoria
The stadium was painted yellow on the stands as the supporters were cheering for their team ‘beating the drum’. And Sundowns did not disappoint their fans as they showed character to come back from behind to win the final.
SUNDOWNS ARE FOUR R74 MILLION RICHER
For winning the trophy, Masandawana have pocketed a massive four million dollars. When converted to rands the amount is equivalent to R74 million.
Wydad, the runners-up in the competition returned to Morocco with three million dollars.
PETER SHALULILE AND LUCAS RIBEIRO RETURN FROM INJURY
Sundowns received a major boost ahead of the final showdown as they welcomed their star players, the duo of Peter Shalulile and Lucas Ribeiro from injury setbacks.
This was their first match since September. Shalulile had last played against Stellenbosch FC as Sundowns cruised to a 3-1 victory in the league. And the Namibian marked his return with a goal.
Ribeiro’s last game was against Orlando Pirates as they lost on penalties in the MTN8 final. He put in a below-par display in the AFL final
DOMINANT MAMELODI SUNDOWNS
Sundowns dominated the entire match playing an attacking game. For their efforts, they finally ended Wydad’s dominance over them in the last three CAF Champions League matches.
In the previous matches, Wydad claimed a win and the other results were draws.
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