Mamelodi Sundowns were crowned champions of the inaugural African Football League (AFL) after thrashing Wydad Athletic Club 2-0 at Loftus Versfeld on Sunday afternoon.
Rulani Mokwena’s men beat the Moroccan side 3-2 on aggregate, to lift their third continental title after the 2016 CAF Champions League and the 2017 CAF Super Cup.
Masandawana’s opening goal came in injury-time of the first half courtesy of Peter Shalulile, then Aubrey Modiba made it 2-0 in the second half.
Sundowns coach, Rhulani Mokwena, thanked the club supporters and dedicated the trophy to them.
“The supporters have been with us throughout the tournament.
They made an incredible contribution, they sang and supported the boys for 90 minutes.
For that we’re extremely grateful to them, we thank them for their love and support,” said Mokwena.
The win records an incredible AFL campaign by Sundowns, who won 5 of their 6 matches in the tournament.
The club’s road to the final saw them knock out Petro de Luanda of Angola, as well as CAF Champions League winners Al Ahly of Egypt, before beating Wydad.
Masandawana have not only secured bragging rights on the continent, but also bagged a whopping ($4 million dollars) R74 million.
Runners-up Wydad, meanwhile, will receive R55.6 million for finishing second.
The Brazilians didn’t only win the prize money, they also did a clean sweep at the individual awards.
Ronwen Williams was named the Goalkeeper of the Tournament.
Thapelo Maseko received the top scorer award after scoring two goals, the 21-year-old was also named the Most Valuable Player in the competition.
