It turned out well for the South African side, Mamelodi Sundowns, who came back from a 2-1 defeat in their first leg to defeat Wydad Casablanca in Pretoria. This is the first time Sundowns will defeat Wydad in an inter-club competition since their last win, which was in 2020.
Before Sunday’s showdown, Wydad had an advantage of a 2-1 lead following a 79th-minute strike from Anas Serrhat to put the Moroccans in better contention for their 23rd title.
But the trip to South Africa went south for the Moroccans, who lost 2-0 to their hosts.
The first 30 minutes of the game saw both sides keep each other at bay, but while the first half was about to end, a defensive lapse from Wydad was punished by Sundowns after goalkeeper Youssef Motie parried Khuliso Mudua’s shot against the leg of Peter Shalulile, who then fired home.
With a goal conceded before the break, Wydad’s coach, Adil Ramzi, made two tactical substitutions to salvage the situation. The duo of Saifeddine Bouhra and Bouly Junior Samdou came on for Monatassir Lahtimi and Charki Bahri, respectively.
But just as it played out in the first half, a similar situation was recorded in the second 45 minutes.
Five minutes into the second half, Shalulile intercepted a sloppy back pass from Wydad for a one-on-one situation with Motie, but the goalkeeper alertly blocked the winger.
Meanwhile, the wait for a second goal lasted for another three minutes after Audrey Modiba intercepted a miscued pass and went past two Wydad players before placing the ball past Motie.
While speaking after the game, Peter Shalilule credited God and his wonderful teammates for their heroic success.
“ I will like to thank God first for making this opportunity possible because God isn’t a God of years but seasons.
“Throughout the seasons, we have been trying to get the trophy, and finally, he gave it to us. Wonderful experience, good teammates, a good day, and we glorify him for this amazing cup.”
Apart from making history, the South Africans won for themselves $ 4,000,000.
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