Mamelodi Sundowns remain the champions of Tshwane following an emphatic 3-0 victory over SuperSport United in the Tshwane Derby on Wednesday evening at the Lucas Moripe Stadium. Jaden Adams and Tashreeq Matthews were the heroes in this instalment of the Tshwane derby.
Lucas Ribeiro tested the goalkeeper very early but the ball hit the woodwork. Ten minutes into the game, Adams opened the scoring through a powerful effort that the goalkeeper couldn’t get to on time, to see him register his first goal in Brazilian colours. A few minutes later, Peter Shalulile was close to doubling the advantage for his side but he was denied by the bar.
Ater a foul on Supersport, they were awarded a free kick which almost saw them level matters but they too, were victims of the bar, which denied them and rescuing Masandawana from being level to the rivals.
Matthews hit a long range shot but the Matsatsantsa goalkeeper quickly caught the ball. There were a few more clear-cut chances where Matthews could have gotten right but was denied. Eventually, he was able to add his name on the scoresheet to double advantage for Masandawana just before the interval. The ball came straight from Ronwen Williams and was found by Shalulile who delivered it to a Matthews who didn’t waste no time to slot it in an empty box.
The hosts looked lively in the few minutes of the second half, keeping the ball in Downs’ half but the visitors were quick to snatch control and Ribeiro was seen pressing and eventually won the ball. He then handed the ball to Matthews who made an excellent finish from a first touch which was out of reach for the goalkeeper.
The visitors kept the foot on the accelerator as they continued to look for more goals. Thapelo Maseko, who came in for Ribeiro, came close to a goal when he pulled the trigger from the right flank but the keeper smacked it away.
In the final stages of the match, the SuperSport defender was handed marching orders after fouling Kegan Johannes and acquiring his second yellow card of the match. This left the hosts vulnerable because it didn’t take time before Matias Esquivel threatened them with a shot that didn’t make it past the defenders. Sphelele Mkhulise also pulled an effort that was cushioned by the keeper. Despite fighting hard for more goals in added time, the Brazilians had to settle for the three goals and a clean sheet.
How we lined up: Williams ©, Tiwani, Khoza, Lebusa, Mdunyelwa, Allende, Mokoena, Adams, Ribeiro, Matthews, Shalulile.
Subs: Onyango, Suarez, Johannes, Mashego, Mkhulise, Esquivel, Kodisang, Maseko, Rayners.
