Motsepe: Sundowns Must Make Fans Smile
Mamelodi Sundowns boss Tlhopie Motsepe says the club has a responsibility to make their supporters happy and hopes they will be the ones smiling at the end of what is shaping up to be a thrilling Betway Premiership title race with Orlando Pirates.
The league title is increasingly looking like a two-horse contest after Sundowns moved to the top of the table with a 2–0 victory over Orbit College at Loftus Versfeld on Monday night.
New signing Brayan León was among the goalscorers as the defending champions continued their strong start to 2026.
Arthur Sales opened the scoring with a spectacular bicycle kick after charging down a clearance from Orbit goalkeeper Cyril Chibwe, punishing the Zambian international’s mistake.
Sundowns now sit on 29 points from 14 matches, one point ahead of second-placed Orlando Pirates, although the Buccaneers have two games in hand. With the season unfolding as it has, the title battle appears set to be contested between the two PSL heavyweights.
Despite head coach Miguel Cardoso making several changes to his line-up, Sundowns dominated the match and could have won by a larger margin given the number of chances they created.
The Tshwane giants went into the fixture after strengthening their squad with the signings of Monnapule Saleng, Brayan León, and Khulumane Ndamane, underlining their intent to retain the league title.
“Football is the gift that we have — the blessing we are able to give,” Motsepe told SuperSport TV.
“This football club is our privilege, and that is what we want to give back. To see the supporters singing and dancing like that during ‘Haka Matorokisi’ is special. It makes people want to come back to the stadium again and again.
“We want to make them proud of us, just as we are proud to be part of the Yellow Nation. It’s going to be an exciting season, and hopefully they are the ones smiling at the end.”
It was a comfortable evening for Sundowns, with goalkeeper and Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams not required to make a single save. However, the hosts were particularly encouraged by León’s debut goal, which saw him become only the second Colombian player to score for Sundowns in the PSL after Leonardo Castro.
Sundowns will now turn their attention to continental competition as they host Al-Hilal of Sudan in a CAF Champions League group-stage clash at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Friday.
