It was goals galore at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium when the Mamelodi Sundowns Diski Team defeated the hosts, Polokwane City reserves 5-0 on Sunday morning. It was the heroics of Keabetswe Ramotsei, Thando Buthelezi, Siyabonga Mabena Kutlwano Letlhaku and Bongani-Junior Mthembu that earned the Brazilians a massive victory.
The first half began with a dominant Mamelodi Sundowns side who wanted to make their mark in the pitch and it didn’t take long before that happened. The Brazilians drew first blood to announce their presence to the host team. It was Siyabonga Ndebele who started with a long-range ball that got cleared in the box but ended up landing on Malibongwe Khoza’s feet. Khoza passed the ball to Onele Rulwana who set it up nicely for Keabetswe Ramotsei who strongly kicked the ball past the keeper.
The opener boosted the Brazilians, which saw them creating chances and looking to double their lead in the early minutes of the first half but they were not capitalising.
A free kick was awarded to Polokwane City just outside the box but it got smacked out of the box by the Downs goalkeeper. Another attempt to level matters came from the hosts but Onele Rulwana squeezed the opponent in the corner to win the ball back. He managed to deliver the ball to Khoza on the touchline, who steered it away from the danger area.
Another opportunity to extend their lead came about when Khoza supplied a long ball which found Buthelezi but it got cleared from a tight angle, earning Downs a corner. Rulwana delivered the corner kick which was found by Khoza who headed it into the box but the header was not strong enough to go past the keeper. Masandawana went into the halftime break leading by one goal.
The visitors were not satisfied with the one goal they had, so they were looking to extend their lead in the second half. They kicked off the second half with a goal to double matters. Rulwana is the one who drove the ball to Siyabonga Mabena who received it on the edge of the touchline. He delivered it to Buthelezi who slotted it in the box with a quick shot.
Rise and Shine were looking to retaliate and find their first goal but the Downs defence was tight, denying them a chance to score. They continued to knock on the door but their attempts were not fruitful.
Coach Themba’s charges continued to look for more goals in the second half and it did not take them long to net their third goal, which happened after the hour mark. It started with an interception that was made by Letlhaku to take it home. Letlhaku’s shot found Mabena who drove the ball, went over a Polokwane City defender and netted the third goal that was well set-up. A fourth goal did not take long to arrive for the visitors after Letlhaku saw an opportunity to capitalise on a mistake made by the opponents. He fired a powerful drive that stunned the goalkeeper.
Ka Bo Yellow sealed the victory with a fifth goal, killing the game and leaving Rise and Shine with no opportunity to collect any points. The goal came from substitute, Mthembu, who was set up by Letlhaku. He lobbed the ball over the keeper to find the net, concluding the game. Coach Themba’s troops enjoyed a clean sweep and moved up to second place on the log.
How we lined up: Raludzingana, Mohanwe, Khoza, Ndebele, Nkabinde, Buthelezi, Rulwana, Nkosi ©, Ramotsei, Mabena, Letlhaku.
Subs: Shabangu, Mampane, Mthembu, Masisi, Kekana.
