At Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Wednesday night, Mamelodi Sundowns defeated Marumo Gallants 1-0 to reclaim their place in the DStv Premiership.
Bafana Ba Style won 1-0 thanks to a stunning goal from Sphelele Mkhulise. Downs made a beautiful ball movement, and Mkhulise shot past Washington Arubi from close range. On the 28th minute, the home side scored the game’s only goal to retake the league’s top place.
First up was Marcelo Allende, who tested Gallant’s goaltender with his shot but was unlucky not to see the ball go into the goal. Downs had periods of control with their trademark ball possession, but Themba Zwane’s thunderous effort missed the goal on back-to-back occasions after getting past his defender.
Mshishi’s left-footed shot, which seemed to be opening the score lines shortly after his initial attempt, sailed wide before the linesman raised the flag for offside. Teboho Mokoena was the next in line to put Masandawana in ahead after the game had gone for 20 minutes without a goal on either end. Khuliso Mudau passed the ball to Mokoema, who attempted to knock it with his left foot but the ball veered off course.
Moments before the halftime, the game picked up steam. Mkhulise gave Masandawana the lead with a close-range strike, sealing an exciting 1-0 victory for the home side. After the interval, the game resumed with a vengeance. Gallants quickly lost possession and had to work assiduously to prevent Masandawana from entering their half.
The Brazilians were displaying excitement when Mudau moved up from the right side flank to pass the ball to Mokoena, who fired a powerful effort that smacked the side goal. While Gallants kept looking for explanations, Downs demonstrated their ruthlessness in their attack and went on the rampage in front of their supporters.
The Tshwane Giants increased their pressure as the half-hour mark approached and then launched an attack with Sirino. The Uruguayan striker was hauled down in the area, but the referee allowed play to continue. The desperate visitors kept trying to equalize, as Ronwen Williams faced challenges from Katlego Otladisa and Lesiba Nku in his half, but the Downs defense stood firm.
With 20 minutes remaining, Sundowns made their first substitutions: Thapelo Morena, Haashim Domingo, and Bongani Zungu entered the game, followed by Cassius Mailula and Lebohang Maboe.
The Brazilians kept up their impressive performance with their ball movement and box incursions, but their finishing touches fell short. As the game came to a close, Gallants had one more opportunity to tie it up. Ahmadou Soumaro believed he had scored an equalizer on a set piece play, but the linesman raised his flag, prompting a commotion.
With 22 points after 10 games, Masandawana is back atop the DStv Premiership standings.
R. Williams, K. Mudau (80′ Mailula), M. Lebusa, R. De Reuck, G. Kekana, M. Mvala (73′ Zungu), T. Mokoena, S. Mkhulise (80′ Maboe), T. Zwane, G. Sirino (73′ Domingo), and M. Allende (73′ Morena) are in this order.
A. Jali, L. Maboe, H. Domingo, G. Motupa, B. Ralani, and B. Zungu are substitutes for D. Onyango, T. Morena, C. Mailula, and A. Morena.