The DStv Premiership could not have asked for a better ending to what was an action-packed 2023-24 season, as all 16 teams wrapped it up in style with goals galore, twists and turns in the CAF Champions League spot contest, top-eight chase and the escape of the promotion-relegation play-offs finish yesterday afternoon.
Mamelodi Sundowns came out top as the kings of South African football once again after making history by clinching the league title for the seventh time on the trot.
However, they couldn’t accomplish their target of completing the season as the invincibles, after losing 1-0 to Cape Town City in front of their home supporters at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
Following their 1-1 draw against SuperSport United, Orlando Pirates completed their campaign as runners-up by the scruff of the neck and will be joining Sundowns in the CAF Champions League next season ahead of Stellenbosch FC.
Stellies suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat at the hands of strugglers Richards Bay FC, which means despite being level on 50 points with the Buccaneers, they just missed out on the second spot due to Pirates having a better goal difference.
Kaizer Chiefs’ disappointing 2-0 defeat to Motsepe Foundation Championship-bound Cape Town Spurs means that they will be missing out on participating in the MTN 8.
The Amakhosi finished their topsy-turvy season at position 10 – their worst finish since the 2018-19 season.
Polokwane City will now meet Masandawana in the quarterfinal of the Wafa-Wafa cup competition next season.
In the bottom-of-the-log battle between the two KwaZulu-Natal teams, MaMkhize’s Royal AM escaped the play-offs with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Moroka Swallows, which will see their rivals Richards Bay battle it out with Baroka FC and University of Pretoria in order to save their top-flight football status.
For Pirates coach Jose Riveiro and his men, it will be a huge sigh of relief to finish the season on a high as they found themselves under pressure to return to playing continental football after being eliminated in the preliminary round this season.
As Riveiro had alluded ahead of the game, not securing a Champions League spot berth would be a failure for the Sea Robbers. “You can’t be fatigued if you are playing this type of games, playing for the big objective, which is to put Orlando Pirates in the Champions League next season,” Riveiro said.
“I think there’s no excuses … anything less than that [finishing second], would not be a good season for us.”
After finding the back of the net again yesterday, talisman Tshegofatso Mabasa will walk away with the Golden Boot as he finished the season as the top-goal scorer with 16 goals – one ahead of Stellenbosch striker Iqraam Rayners.
Mabasa netted probably the most important goal for Pirates this season and the happy people of Orlando will taste Champions League football next season.
