Lebusa a colossus at Sundowns
● The first time defender Mosa Lebusa suffered heartbreak in a major domestic cup final, that unpleasant experience was administered by Mamelodi Sundowns.
Lebusa was part of the youthful Ajax Cape Town side that fell at the final hurdle to the Brazilians in the Nedbank Cup with a 4-3 loss on penalties at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in 2015.
He picked up valuable lessons from the chastening experience, but as fate would have it, he will be putting his body on the line for the same Sundowns in the Telkom Knockout final against Maritzburg United at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.
“It’s ironic, isn’t it, but that’s how life works sometimes,” said the soft-spoken 27year-old Bafana Bafana defender who joined Sundowns from Ajax last season.
“On that disappointing day in 2015, I did everything to beat Sundowns but it was not to be as we lost on penalties after it was goalless for 120 minutes.
“Things have changed — I am their player now. If I get the opportunity to play in the final, I will do my very best to win this trophy for the club and the fans who have supported us.
That fateful loss
“When we lost to Sundowns in that final, we had a young team with players like Rivaldo Coetzee, Tashreeq Morris, Abbubaker Mobara, Bantu Mzwakali and Riyaad Norodien, and I think we did well to take Sundowns to extra time. It was very disappointing because it was the first time most of us played in a cup final. What we wanted was just to have that experience of lifting the trophy.”
Since that final loss, Lebusa went on to win the MTN8 a few months later when Ajax stunned Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 and last season he helped Sundowns to lift the Absa Premiership title.
Those remain his only two major medals but he wants more silverware in his trophy cabinet and Saturday’s final presents another opportunity if Downs prevail against unpredictable Maritzburg United.
“I joined Sundowns to learn from a respected coach like Pitso Mosimane and to increase my chances of winning more trophies. It is important to win trophies as a player and for the fans because it has been about three seasons since Sundowns last won a major domestic cup competition even though there has been league success.
“He (Mosimane) has helped me to make the adjustment to centre back because I have played at left-back for most of my time. The coach has always said that he doesn’t want players who play in one position.”
Maritzburg showed that they can rise to the occasion when they dumped Kaizer Chiefs out of this competition in the semifinal. Lebusa said they must be thoroughly prepared. “To be able to win this cup, we have to prepare properly because
Maritzburg are not in this final by mistake. They have worked hard to be in the final with us and you must remember that they knocked out Chiefs in the semifinal stage. They are a strong team with a good coach in Eric Tinkler and good players who have the ability to rise to the occasion.
“We also need to focus on ourselves so that we are sharp on the day of the match because it is not going to be easy. It is going to be important for us not to underestimate them because if we do that we will suffer like Chiefs.
They’ll be highly motivated
“People must also remember that this is their second final appearance in a short space of time since they lost to Free State Stars in the Nedbank Cup final. They are yet to win a cup competition in their history and they will be highly motivated to make history and be the first group to win a trophy for the club.”
So far this season, Lebusa has been a mainstay in the centre of Mosimane’s defence and his performances also caught the eye of Bafana Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki.
“I am enjoying my football with Sundowns and this experience is what I always wanted. I am also learning from playing in the Caf Champions League, which is a difficult competition because of the travelling. I have acclimatised to the rigours of playing on the continent and as a team we have learned not to complain about the hectic schedule. Travelling on the continent takes a lot out of us but we just get on with the business.
“I hope the experience of playing in the Champions League will help Bafana whenever I get the opportunity to play. We have a number of good defenders in the national team like captain Thulani Hlatshwayo, Eric Mathoho and others and we are pushing each other.”
Yesterday, Sundowns played against Wydad Casablanca in the group stages of the Champions League in Morocco and have an important Premiership clash against Stellenbosch FC on Wednesday at Loftus before the final.
“Our schedule is hectic but it won’t help us to complain. Sundowns have been through this type of programme for the past six years non-stop. Last season was my first experience in the Champions League and I am enjoying it.”
After taking on Stellenbosch, Lebusa will turn his attention to the final where the lessons he learned in that defeat to Sundowns may stand him in good stead.
Ironically, it is the very same Sundowns who may end up benefiting from him this time around.