Lerumo Lions, Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies lift Pirates Cup
Easter in South Africa is synonymous with sport, with the football menu including Orlando Pirates hosting their annual Pirates Cup at Marks Park, in Johannesburg, over four days.
It ended on Monday with Lerumo Lions capturing the Men’s u21 title while Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies took home the Women’s trophy.
A solitary strike from Lumka Qhekeka proved decisive as Sundowns Ladies claimed a maiden triumph in the competition, defeating the 2023 runners-up, the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Ladies in a hotly contested final.
A similar scoreline decided the destination of the men’s trophy, with an early goal from Bongani Mpini handing Lions a hard-fought victory over the tournament hosts, Pirates.
Both finals were fitting showstoppers after a long weekend of exciting football action, which kicked off with 64 teams from around South Africa and beyond. When the dust had settled, Sundowns Ladies had followed in the footsteps of the inaugural champions, Tuks Ladies, and the 2024 winners, JVW.
After securing their spot in the knockout stage of the competition on the opening day, Banyana Ba Style returned on Monday for a semifinal showdown against Wits Ladies.
It ended 1-0 in favour of the team from Tshwane after a tight tussle, which set up a title-deciding clash against UJ Ladies. They had played to a goalless draw against the defending champions in their semifinal, before edging out JVW in a penalty shootout.
That set up a fascinating final between two sides who had fallen just short of glory in the competition’s previous editions, with the 2024 runners-up, Sundowns Ladies, prevailing to claim the grand prize of R50 000.
Third place went to Wits Ladies, who, for the second match in succession, handed JVW a defeat on penalties.
JVW did have cause to celebrate, however, when their star forward, Bonolo Mokoma, received the Golden Boot for her seven goals, which also won her the tournament’s MVP accolade.
The semifinals also proved to be the end of the road for last year’s men’s champions, with the Buccaneers eliminating UJ from the spot after they had played to a goalless draw in regulation time.
There was a similar story in the parallel fixture between Leruma Lions and Wits, with the team from the North West Province prevailing in another shootout to book a place in the final against the Soweto giants.
Bongani Mpini’s strike from close range handed Lions an early lead, which they clung onto to thwart the tournament hosts’ attempt at claiming their first Pirates Cup title since 2018.
Midfielder Lucky Malatsi took home the MVP accolade for inspiring Lerumo Lions to victory with his eye-catching displays in the middle of the pitch, while Emalahleni United‘s Alfred Kwanele was the men’s Golden Boot winner after scoring five goals.
Wits, meanwhile, emulated their ladies’ team by finishing third in the tournament after getting the better of UJ in the third-place playoff.
