Onyango, Pitso relive Mamelodi Sundowns ‘toughest’ title run-in

BY ANDREW MWANGUHYA

Three hundred and seventy-nine days is the duration heartbroken Kaizer Chiefs, the club that endeared David Obua to South Africans, spent at the top of the Premier Soccer League (PSL).
And only one day - yes, one day is all Denis Onyango and Mamelodi Sundowns needed to be on top of the standings and be there forever.

Well, until some other team intervenes at the start of the 2020/21 season. “Kaizer Chiefs were winning and we were struggling but we were confident,” said Onyango, who became joint most decorated foreign player in the PSL after Sundowns sealed an unprecedented 10th league title on Saturday.
His teammate, Liberian Anthony Laffor, is the other foreigner to have bagged his seventh league medal after Sundowns beat Black Leopards 3-0 to pip Chiefs, who drew the last tie 1-1 with Baroka, to the title.

Never stopped believing
“But we kept on believing,” added Onyango, “We knew Kaizer Chiefs had the advantage, but we also knew what we could do, and when that chance came, we went top for the first time and that was it.”
Onyango’s coach, the celebrated Pitso Mosimane, broke down the situation more succinctly.

“We never had a chance to sniff the top of the league,” he said, “We had been second for the whole year and here we were, top for the first time... for 23 minutes, 30 minutes maybe.”
Onyango and Mosimane, who share a strong bond, were speaking to the country’s Monday flagship TV show, the NTV Press Box.
“It was difficult because we came 13 points from behind to win it three times in a row. It was also our 50th anniversary, and also our 10th title, our La Decimal.”

Team ethos never lost
It was of course not easy for Sundowns, as they drew and lost games after the post-lockdown restart, only to pick up the pace as the matches came thick and fast.
“It was difficult with Covid-19 protocols, lots of catch-up games, loss of form, injuries... That all created anxiety.”
The 2016 Caf Champions League winner and one-time African Player of the Year, Onyango, has now won the South African league three times with Supersport United and four with Sundowns.

“Of course that is amazing and I’m happy to have done it. I’m proud of this Denis,” he said, smiling and pointing to himself.
“But also, I’m happy for the team because I didn’t play the final matches due to injury and Kennedy Mweene came in and delivered the team to the promised land.”

Onyango also reserved good words for his captain, Hlompho Kekana, who also has seven league titles to his name.
“He is an amazing guy,” said Onyango, “He inspires me to play on because what he is doing at 35 is amazing.
“He is the only player in the league to have played all 10 games after restart. And as a man, he is a very good person.

“When I had moved in to Sundowns, he was the one driving me around and he shared with me his story if how he came from a village to captain a great club and win the Champions League.”
Onyango finished the season with eight clean sheets from 21 matches.
He is expected to return to goal when Sundowns go for the Nedbank Cup title against Bloemfontein Celtic this weekend.