Gaston Sirino made his way into the Chiefs box as early as three minutes on the clock and laid a pass onto Peter Shalulile, who caused a panic in the AmaKhosis’ defense. After dealing with Shalulile’s strike, the visitors’ inaccuracy of passing to each other at the back opened the scoring lines for Downs as Sirino intercepted Siyabonga Ngezana’s backpass to goalie Bruce Bvuma, t
Masandawana had a systematic offensive style, transitioning at the correct times, and fought most of their duels in the centre of the field. The Namibian international was involved in the assault in the duel, receiving a defensive splitting ball from Neo Maema and charging up towards Bvuma, but the striker was pulled down in the box as the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Shalulile scored his first goal in the 2022-23 Premier Soccer League with a rocket strike against Bvuma.
Bafana Ba Style led the day with two goals to zero after just fifteen minutes of play, as they continued to give top-quality performances at both ends of the game. The referee reprimanded Andile Jali, who was given his first start of the season, for bringing Siyethemba Sithebe down, but no card was issued to the Matatiele native. The Soweto squad created opportunities to threaten the Downs defense, with Cole Alexander’s sizzling shot at the half-hour mark hitting the side of Ronwen Williams’ goal and causing slight concerns for Sundowns.
The Brazilians kept the visiting squad at bay for the bulk of the first half by winning personal duels throughout the ground, which was lauded by the audience. The Chiefs had one more opportunity to score before halftime when Khama Billiat’s ball to Yusuf Maart looked good, but the effort failed. Sundowns went into the interval two goals ahead of Chiefs, who had yet to reach the back of the net.
As the game resumed after the interval, the Downs defense was pressed into action, with threats coming from Reeve Frosler, who missed a sitter for AmaKhosi. Maema and Themba Zwane performed an excellent job with combination play to connect with Shalulile, who scored his second goal of the game to make the score 3-0.
Teboho Mokoena was thrown into the referee’s book after bringing Kgaogelo Sekgotha at the outside of the box while battling for the ball with the visitors striving to reach The Brazilians’ final third. Billiat, a Zimbabwe international, walked up to face Williams as he attempted the penalty shot, but the Bafana Bafana international goalkeeper denied AmaKhosi twice with two spectacular saves.
Bafana Ba Style made changes to their lineup, with Abubeker Nasir and Lyle Lakay replacing Sirino and Maema, and Sphelele Mkhulise replacing an injured Jali. When Modiba and Zwane were replaced, Thapelo Morena and Lesedi Kapinga were added.
When the clock struck 72 minutes, Shalulile seemed to be on his way to his third goal, thanks to a feed from Nasir, but the Namibian’s attempt was misdirected as he collided with the Chiefs defense. Nasir, a newly acquired forward, scored the game-winning goal with fifteen minutes remaining before full time. The 22-year-old Ethiopian striker took a beautiful left-foot shot for an outstanding start at the home of the Champions.
Williams’ outstanding saves ensured his team retained a clean sheet, as Masandawana earned their second victory in three games this season.
R. Williams, A. Modiba (79’Morena), K Mudau, B. Onyango, R. De Reuck, T. Mokoena, A Jali (65’Mkhulise), N. Maema (59’Lakay), T. Zwane (79’Kapinga), G. Sirino (59’Abubeker), P. Shalulile
D. Onyango, T. Moren, M. Lebusa, S. Mkhulise, L. Kapinga, A. Nasir, L. Lakay, H. Domingo, T. Kutumela are the substitutes.