Brazilian Sales scores twice as Sundowns seal eighth straight title

Brazilian Arthur Sales scored twice as Mamelodi Sundowns won 3-0 at Chippa United on Wednesday to clinch an eighth straight South African Premiership title.

The South American came off the bench at Buffalo City Stadium in coastal city East London to score the last two goals after 69 and 89 minutes.

South African international Iqraam Rayners had put the Pretoria outfit ahead on 11 minutes with his 14th league goal of the season and chart-topping 18th in all domestic competitions.

Sundowns kicked off against mid-table opponents they also beat 3-0 last week needing one point to be crowned champions and pocket the 20 million rand ($1.1 mn/€980,000) first prize.

Victory lifted them to 70 points with one match to play and an unassailable lead. Second-placed Orlando Pirates have 55 points with four fixtures remaining.

Apart from the early stages of the second half, Sundowns controlled possession and only a good performance from recalled Chippa goalkeeper Darren Johnson prevented a wider winning margin.

Victory completed a national championship double for Portuguese coach Miguel Cardoso, who guided Esperance to the Tunisian title last season.

Sacked by the Tunis club early this season over disappointing domestic results, Cardoso replaced under-performing local Manqoba Mngqithi at Sundowns last December.

Sundowns supporters were initially unhappy with the change, citing the poor record of Cardoso with clubs in Portugal, France, Spain and Greece before moving to Africa.

Bolstered by Argentinians, Brazilians and a Chilean, the 15-time South Africa champions are renowned for attractive attacking football with an emphasis on ball retention.

Critics labelled the style of Cardoso "boring", but he gradually won over fans of the third-best supported team in the country after Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.

Under the 52-year-old, they have not only maintained a dominance of the Premiership, but qualified for the CAF Champions League final and Club World Cup.

"The supporters were suspicious of me, but I have steadily earned their respect through hard work," Cardoso told reporters in East London.

"It has been tough since I arrived because the expectations at Sundowns are so high. It has also been an exciting time as I changed the way we play.

"Instilling belief in the squad played a key role. I also feel they are playing with more freedom. Winning is great, but there must also be enjoyment."

Sundowns face Egyptian club Pyramids in the Champions League final on May 24 and June 1 and then Borussia Dortmund, Fluminense and South Korean side Ulsan in the Club World Cup.