SEKHUKHUNE UNITED (1) 2
Otladisa 32 Makgalwa 69
MAMELODI SUNDOWNS (2) 4
Morena 16 Suares 39 Ribeiro 55 Sales 66
A championship title defence that was meant to be the most difficult yet is fast beginning to look like nothing more than precession march to the eighth successive league success.
The Brazilians are winning matches with such ease lately that the Premier Soccer League (PSL) might as well have their names engraved on the inaugural Betway Premiership trophy.
This victory at the old Peter Mokaba Stadium was their third successive one since they suffered a surprise setback courtesy of a 1-0 defeat at TS Galaxy.
Statements of intent don’t come as big as the one Sundowns have made after that loss as Miguel Cardoso’s men scored 11 goals in the three matches.
Granted, they have played four matches more than their main rivals Orlando Pirates.
But they lead them by a massive 15 points and in a sport where games in hand do not equal points in the bank, it will take some doing for the Buccaneers to pull the rug from underneath Sundowns’ feat in the battle to be the maiden champions of a league sponsored by Betway.
Wednesday night’s victory was South American inspired as the record Premiership champions made up for an earlier loss at this compact venue in the Limpopo capital, Sundowns having been beaten by Polokwane City on this pitch.
They’d struggled back then to display their expansive passing game but not so this time around as they enjoyed the lion’s share of possession and pierced the hots open almost at will.
Thapelo Morena opened the scoring with a sweetly struck shot from inside the box after he’d received a fantastic cross from Jayden Adams.
The right back controlled the ball with his chest and smashed it low and hard into the net at Badre Sangare’s far side.
Katlego Otladisa equalised on 35 minutes with a left footer after Jody February, the Sundowns goalkeeper, had parried the ball back into play after a cross from the right to give hope this would be a contest.
But shortly thereafter, Lucuas Suares got the South American show rolling when he headed in from a third successive corner taken by Marcelo Allende.
Sangare had come off his line but succeeded in flailing his arms somewhat aimlessly to thin air as the ball fell for Suares to head into the open net.
Lucas Ribeiro extended his goals atop the scorers table to 11 with a free shot from inside the six yard box after Rayners had fluffed a chance when he fell right in front of Sangare who could not clear.
The loose ball could not have fallen for a better player, Ribeiro guiding it into the net between two hapless defenders in the red of Sekhukhune.
That was the match over as a contest, but Sundowns were not finished as yet and another South American – Arthur Sales – who had come on as a substitute earlier on added his name to the scoresheet with a goal.
The Brazilian could well have been doing the Samba.
Sales got the ball just inside the box and controlled the ball with a ballerina-like twirl which would have made Kitty Phelta proud and smashed it home hard and low to Badre’s far corner.
Former Sundowns player Keletso Makgalwa pulled one back for the hosts after Allende gifted him possession with a back header as Sundowns causally tried to play their way out of defence.
That goal was nothing more than a consolation though and Sundowns actually could have scored much more with Peter Shalulile threatening on numerous occasions.
The Namibian had a legitimate shout for a penalty inexplicably waved off by the referee even though Sangare clearly hacked him inside the box.
Such has been their propensity to hit the opposition for a four lately that Kaizer Chiefs – their next opponents on Saturday – must be quacking in their boots at the prospect of the trip up to Atteridgeville’s Lucas Moripe Stadium.
A victory for Sundowns in this match and surely they should be installed championship-elect.
