The champions Mamelodi Sundowns surged back to the top of the Betway Premiership after beating Royal AM 2-1 at Loftus Versfeld in Tshwane on Wednesday evening.
The win was Sundowns’ seventh in a row in all competitions, and put out a message to their rivals that they won’t be letting their title go without a fight.
Sundowns’ goals came courtesy of Sphelele Mkhulise and Khuliso Mudau, while Sbangani Zulu scored for the KwaZulu-Natal side.
What happened here? 😲
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) October 23, 2024
It only takes Sundowns 5 minutes to take the lead at Loftus 👇![CDATA[]]>🔥
📺 Stream #BetwayPrem on DStv: https://t.co/B0jLrQW5cc @Betway_za pic.twitter.com/jN1oEYgNZu
Sundowns came into the game having made eight changes following the weekend’s Carling Knockout Cup hammering of Golden Arrows.
Bafana star Teboho Mokoena was back in the starting line-up, as was Mudau. The duo have struggled for game time this season, despite being important players for the national team.
For Royal AM, Andile Mpisane, the club’s 23-year-old chairman and son of owner Shauwn Mkhize started the game on the bench. The KwaZulu-Natal team made nine chances from their weekend Cup clash against Cape Town City.
Despite the changes, Sundowns were up and running in the fifth minute when Sphelele Mkhulise buried the ball into the back of the net after taking the ball off the Royal AM defender as they were trying to play out from the back.
However, without the injured Themba Zwane pulling the strings in midfield, the champions struggled to create more chances with Royal AM happy to sit back and stay compact.
Sera Motebang had a golden opportunity to level matters up with five minutes of the half remaining, but with Ronwen Williams off his line, the Royal AM striker rushed his shot, and Sundowns’ Yashin Trophy nominee had no problem plucking it out of the air.
John Maduka’s team did well to keep the score to 1-0 at the half time break.
With Royal AM parking the bus, there were few chances for Sundowns in the second half. The best one fell to Lucas Ribeiro in the 75th minute.
With the goalkeeper beaten, all the Brazilian had to do was slip the ball in the empty net. However, the opportunity was blocked by Thabo Matlaba and the score remained 1-0 to the champions.
The champions eventually found a way again when Lucas Ribeiro found Peter Shalulile with a brilliantly threaded ball into the ball. Shalulile’s shot at goal was blocked by Xolani Ngcobo, but Mudau was there to put the loose ball into the net to make it 2-0.
Sbangani Zulu scored a consolation goal for Royal AM in the second last minute of stoppage time. When the whistle blew, Sundowns won 2-1 and walked away with all three points.
Stellenbosch up to fourth
Steve Barker's men are on their way up 🔝
Devin Titus gets his first league goal of the season 😏
📺 Stream #BetwayPrem on DStv: https://t.co/B0jLrQW5cc @Betway_za pic.twitter.com/2gLXagZS4C
At the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha, Stellenbosch FC secured all three points thanks to a 2-0 win over Chippa United.
Ashley Cupido and Devin Titus scored first half goals as Steve Barker’s men won the match to move up to third in the Betway Premiership.
Stellies will now hope to keep up with the front runners when they take on Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday afternoon, while Chippa United will be looking to get back to winning ways against Golden Arrows.
IOL Sport