First-half heroics in goals and a clinical performance have seen Mamelodi Sundowns emerge victorious in a 3-0 battle against Stellenbosch FC on Sunday afternoon at the Lucas Moripe Stadium.
There was a dramatic start to the meeting, after an indirect free-kick was awarded to the hosts inside the box following an error made by the Stellenbosch defence. Lucas Ribeiro took the setpiece, and even with a wall of maroon covering the box, he managed to drill the ball into the roof of the net through a powerful shot in the sixth minute. This came after the visitors had kept the ball in Downs’ half in the opening minutes of the match but could not get past Denis Onyango.
Six minutes later, another goal was scored by the hosts. Iqraam Rayners had initially set it up nicely for Ribeiro. He then made a good run to the front to receive from the Brazilian-born striker and slotted it in to double the advantage for Masandawana.
In the 18th minute, through a one-touch to control and another to shoot, Arthur Sales tripled the advantage. The hosts were forcing their visitors into making mistakes, and they were capitalising on them. Ribeiro came so close to recording a brace for himself after being set up beautifully by Rayners, but the goalkeeper put his body on the line to deny Ribeiro a goal.
In the closing stages of the opening stanza, the Western Cape-based side started to look a bit threatening with the chances, but were unlucky to head to the break trailing by three goals.
The visitors looked more solid at the back in the second half, as Masandawana were creating many scoring chances. Their attack was also more organised, but the Downs rearguard, especially Khuliso Mudau on the left wing, remained steadfast.
Onyango’s 65th minute double save on the edge of the box after a scramble to win the ball saved a scoring opportunity which looked promising for the away side.
Rayners came close to closing the proceedings with a goal. Sales had delivered the ball into the area and Rayners made a good run to find the ball. Next to the nearpostas he tried to slot it in, the ball was cleared.
Stellies also came very close to getting a consolation goal, but the well-set-up opportunity went wide. Soon after that, Sales, through a set up by Rayners, came close to getting another goal from a shot on the edge of the box but was smacked away by the keeper, to conclude the match.
How we lined up: Onyango ©, Khoza, Kekana, Modiba, Mudau, Mokoena, Adams, Matthews, Ribeiro, Sales, Rayners.
Subs: February, Mashego, Suarez, Aubaas, Mkhulise, Zwane, Morena, Esquivel, Maseko.
It’s nice We are winning convincingly and everybody is happy even the Rhulani fans but come the day We loose those that are happy now will say Flemming Berg with his South Americans are killing Downs forgetting that no team is invincible.
Flemming Berg knows his job perfectly let’s give him a chance to work freely and mark my words he will unleash a marquee signing between 1&10 June.
Thanks Cardoso for improving our scoring chances not playing just to entertain.
I’ve learned that in SA we have idiots of soccer analysts and journalists who still insist that Pirates have a slim chance of winning a league this season.No person with a sane mind can say that,i mean even if we loose all our remaining games,we can’t loose by 8 goals and Pirates can’t score 20 goals in their remaining games,mathematics won’t with Pirates the league the truth of the matter is the league is already been sealed.Pirates management will not have released the coach early if they still believed they have a slim chance.