The Mamelodi Sundowns Diski Team completed a hard-earned victory against the Moroka Swallows Reserves on Saturday morning in their last fixture of the season in the DStv Diski Challenge. Second half goals from Siyabonga Mabena, Keabetswe Ramotsei, Kutlwano Letlhaku and Jerome Karelse confirmed a lopsided 6-0 score win at Tsakane Stadium.
The start of the encounter was a bit sluggish with no clear-cut chances from both sides. Swallows’s mandate was one coming into the game: deny the hosts goals. On the other hand, Bafana Ba Style’s objective was to score as many goals as possible to put themselves in a position where they still stood a chance to grab the title.
Just after the 30-minute mark, the Dube Birds posed a threat in the Downs box, which was the first dangerous chance of the game. A shot hit the crossbar to rattle the Downs defence and that was not enough because they found a rebound but Fanie Raludzingana bucketed the rebound to deny them an opener. There were a few chances from Masandawana’s retaliation but they amounted to nothing, taking the two sides to the break deadlocked at 0-0.
The objective was still one for coach Themba’s men but no one would have predicted what happened in the second stanza, it was simply goals galore. Three goals were struck in a space of seven minutes. It was Mabena who opened the flood gates for his side on the 53rd minute. The defence splitting pass came from Ramotsei to set Mabena up for an opener.
Three minutes later, Letlhaku made it two for his side. The ball went from defence to attack after Siyabonga Ndebele cleared the ball out of their box to deny Swallows a goal. The long ball found Letlhaku who then drove it to the box. The Swallows goalkeeper tried to meet him halfway but he chipped it over the keeper to find the net. Just when the excitement was still in the air, Ramotsei made it three. From the right flank, Ndebele shot a long ball to find Onele Rulwana in the area. Rulwana made a chest pass to Ramotsei who stung it into the bottom left corner of the net.
Coach Themba’s charges were not satisfied as they still had three more goals in them. The fourth goal came on the 63rd minute, which was three minutes after their third goal. Ramotsei registered his brace. It was Thando Buthelezi who set the finishers up when he squeezed in to deliver the ball to Rulwana. With the keeper charging towards him on the left, he made a last minute call to cross the ball to Ramotsei who shot straight into the net.
Before being taken out, Letlhaku and Mabena wanted to be involved in one more goal. The fifth goal started with Mabena who counterpressed and won the ball. He passed the ball to Rulwana and delivered it to Letlhaku who also registered a brace. The closing goal saw the three super subs, Bongani-Junior Mthembu, Mzwekhaya Nkonxeni and Jerome Karelse get involved in making it six for the Brazilians. Receiving the ball from Mthembu who was on the left flank, Rulwana tried to make it six but the keeper smacked the ball but not far enough as a rebound was quickly found which caused a scramble in the danger zone but Nkonxeni’s invincible backfoot pass managed to be found by Karelse to hit the tongue of the net.
Despite not lifting the trophy, the young Masandawana should be proud of themselves for the manner in which they closed off the season and finishing second in the race.
Starting XI: Raludzingana, Nkosi ©, Khoza, Nkabinde, Ndebele, Norawana, Rulwana, Letlhaku, Ramotsei, Buthelezi, Mabena.
Substitutes: Shabangu, Karelse, Mthembu, Kekana, Nkonxeni.
