Gaston Sirino returned from his suspension and injury to help Mamelodi Sundowns claim a massive three points at home against Chippa United in a nail biting 3-2 victory at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.
The Uruguay had been unavailable for the Brazilians in our previous three Absa Premiership fixtures following suspension, and his absence was prolonged by a dead leg injury that also kept him out of the away trip to Alexandria in the CAF Champions League quarter-final clash against Al Ahly earlier this month.
On his return to the starting line-up, taking the place of Thapelo Morena upfront as the utility player slotted in at right back for another injured player in Anele Ngcongca, Sirino pulled the strings in attack and even got on the score sheet as Sundowns caught up with log leaders Orlando Pirates with only goal difference now separating the two sides with three games to go.
But Downs had to chase the game before they could eventually take the lead and, eventually, all maximum points.
Mark Mayambela broke the deadlock in the 25th minute when he latched onto a loose ball in the penalty box and gave goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene no chance to make the save. It took a while for coach Pitso Mosimane’s men to find their rhythm, with the visitors threatening to increase their tally earlier on.
However, just on the stroke of half-time, captain Hlompo Kekana, who had passed a late fitness test to be named in the first eleven, scored with a powerful header from a Sirino set piece.
As we have become accustomed to it, the diminutive attacker sent in a perfect ball into the box from a free kick outside the box to pick out his skipper, who was completely unmarked and did the rest as he managed to beat goalkeeper Mbongeni Mzimela to bring Downs back on level terms.
Then soon after the break, Sirino was in the thick of things again and found room to send a defence splitting pass to locate the overlapping left back Tebogo Langerman and Sibusiso Vilakazi was there to finish off the move and make it 2-1.
To put the game beyond their opponents’ reach, Sirino was back to haunt them when he capitalised from a defensive error in the 69th minute to add a third for the Brazilians and give them a comfortable lead.
It wasn’t over yet though. Sundowns also have goalkeeper Mweene to thank for getting away with this crucial victory.
Chippa made it 3-2 through Rhulani Manzini with five minutes to go and could have found another later. Just moments apart, and right at the death, the Zambian shot-stopper, still standing in for Denis Onyango for a third game in a row, made a double save to deny Chippa from rescuing a point.
Lerato Manzini and his namesake Rhulani Manzini thought they’d scored, but Mweene acrobatically kept their attempts out.
How Downs lined-up:
Mweene, Morena, Lebusa, Nascimento, Langerman, Kekana, Mabunda, Vilakazi (Madisha 71′), Zwane, Sirino, Maboe (Coetzee 91′)
This boy reminds me of Zane Moosa, his presence on the pitch just turns stones into bread and keep up the good work of messimirising opponents. KBY
The boys did very well, they grinded until the end. Thanks Masandawana. I thought with Sirino back technical team will give at least Mshishi a bit of a break, looking at another fight coming Friday, also Kennedy Meene is NOT convincing inside the sticks, I think Denis is fit for Friday battle otherwise we are in trouble. I personally think that Andile Jali is a great reliever for Hlompho and Tiyani NOT Manyisa, Manyisa plays different football NOT Sundowns style, where is Jali guys? Is he injured or what?
Let’s go show Wydad on Friday, like any other match, it’s NOT gonna be easy especially with games coming thick and fast but Masandawana are fighters, they are ready for anyone. Let them come. I am with you spiritually boooys, go and make us proud as always.
There is no easy match for Sundowns this time, if you can look closely, history always show Sundowns with more goals than any team but this year its unlikely. More of the job is normally done early to mid season. This season is a different one. For Sundowns with that team with no lethal strike force to be where there are is a great achievement. Honestly we did not have that kind of combination that can cause fear on the opponents to worry of , we just have a good team, they have really worked hard to compete in the League and Caf and still doing well. Its a matter of time and opportunity. The results are still coming, we just have to continue grinding points in every match remaining. I loved the character to bounce back for sundowns, on very few occasions Sundowns would come from behind to win the game. Let the team continue, if we win anything with this team there would be all reasons to really celebrate because there is absolutely nothing obvious except commitment and determination.Go in peace and fight for the club ,yellow nation and the Nation of South Africa, you have our support. KbY
Anger is like acid,if you allow it you will surely suffer a great loss, ANGER is like drinking poison expecting no harm, anger is like pulling a trigger pointing at your head with a loaded gun, l always asked why God says we must get rid of anger, he knows its dangers. Cheer up, appreciate more it is a therapy for good feelings. You can not fight fire with petrol, it does not work.In essence wrong things and formulas won’t give you the right answers, if you get on board in a wrong bus, it will not take you to your destination, it does not matter how comfortable the bus may be, if it is not going to your destination board off, it does not matter how sociable the people in that bus may be, do not waste further time, board off. As Supporters if we can also not help one another to calm down our emotions we are then not imparting one another well.Soccer the beautiful game must relieve us of the challenges of life, if it now makes us angry then it defeats the whole logic. Lets continue to love and love till it feels good.l was never taught to hate l was taught to love and nothing will ever come spontaneously .So lets love even if it feels its not lovable. trying by all means to off load old grudges and forgiving other people of their mistakes. Kby
Thanks Masandawana.Now we shift our focus to the Champions league.We want both.
Truth be told, these rats have gone with the title, it’s theirs to loose now. We going to look at our games against Polokwane City, Wits & CTC and say, that’s where we lost it
In life one has to be optimistic and never ever give up untlill the fat lady sings and I still believe we will win the league against all odds. KBY I remain.
Anything is possible, some situations are more painful than others, what if Sundowns win all their remaining games with convincing margins? What if the current log leaders lose and draw another or lose both? What if Bidvest win all their remaining games ? Soccer is something else, anything is possible at the moment.Keep the Faith. Pirates are determined and are working hard, they are playing for results , sometime it may work well but atleast the Caf space they are assured of provided BIDVEST and Sundowns fumble on the way. Its still tough now
Although we still have the chance to win the Psl title, i think we lost our chance to convincingly win this title when we lost to Supersport due to the lineup which was bad. In this time of the season, you have to use your strong team, players have to soldiers themselves despite playing also in Caf champion league, big teams like Barcelona, Liverpool are doing it. Another thing is that our goalkeeper Kennedy Mwene struggles to keep clean sheet. When he is on the goal post, we should expect at least two goals to be conceded, which impact negatively on our goal difference. Pirates with Sandiland are doing well in terms of not conceding goals which make them to have a better goal difference compare to Sundowns, and that can benefit them in winning the title if they finish on the same points with Sundowns. What we have to do now is to win all our remaining games with many goals and not concede, preferably with Denis Onyango in the goal post.
Maybe I don’t understand English as my coach do,he keep on saying I have to save my important players for the game against Wydad that’s why I put other players in our game against Chippa.
That alone is painfully to other players and it may cause divisions amongst players, if those in grandstand are not important why are being kept at Downs instead of letting them to play elsewhere.
Lastly Pitso stop crying about PSL pending case,just win games because all of us know that they will take only one point don’t make PSL a scapegoat for your failure and also favoritism,pls tomorrow don’t field Arendse,Lebusa or Bangaly partnering Nascimento are better,Kby forever
I have to agree with u there member on the issue of “important players” I thought all players are important, I know u can’t field all, some are core of the team, some more fitter or in form than others, but I think it brews division when u openly singled out one group over another…hence people start talking about favoritism.
Wish to know where Paez next stop will be, In place of Broekie or somewhere next door. That can do the trick for me, lets play a wait and see game anything is possible as there is currently no target man as yet, we have been improvising for long enough now, it could be good if we could look at such a possibility then. Give a try and see if can work better for us.
@ Muzi the PSL is not made the scapegoat but they are robbing Sundowns whether we win the league or not, They must control and put people who can manage at the games.let us not try to protect Khoza and his crooks who are busy killing the PSL. Pitso is one coach who will never mention his real plans on TV, I listen to him and i can hear when he is avoiding revealing the truth hence the opposition teams plan for him. leave the other players those are sundowns players they will also benefit in case we win the league or the CAF champions league. There will always be players at the grand stand no matter which players are playing. I don’t know which failure you are talking about because we are running for the league and the Caf Champions league, as for the record Pirates struggled every time they came from CAF and we must be happy as we are competing for winning the league as compared to fighting to avoid relegation, In THIS COACH AND PLAYERS I BELIEVE THAT LEAGUE IS OURS. Ka bo Yellow i remain.
My fellow Faithful Supporters , soccer lovers and favors of this beautiful game, colleagues in this move, peace be unto you ! Be still and raise your faith again and support without doubt. Be calm and keep your focus on what you have believed from the beginning. We keep the support knowing hope does not kill, Sundowns is determined, is focused and working hard, they really want it, they are hungry, they are fighting moving forward as a team, lets continue the support as a yellow nation, we are closer home than where we begun, let us not allow anything between us and the team, deliberately making choices to ignore anything that wants to upset us and focusing on those little things that gives us hope and make us happy. I just love this team, its technical team and its supporters, we can continue provoking one another unto good works. You see, life has a tendency to present itself with realities of its own kind, good things often come enveloped in not so good looking covers, the so much valuable diamonds and Gold that we see or hear of, is found under the ground soiled, just like these two ( important) cups, the Caf and PSL, l say important cups because that is the nature in which they are ,not that the other are not important, they are. Now we are not just participating in these cups but competing for them, there is pressure everywhere ,there are mistakes everywhere, it is a matter of time and opportunity. Everywhere people are important, there are some who become more important and some become less important even in the army, in professional football players know their ranks,they do not get offended by choice of words because it is in the world that surrounds them. Even penalties anyone can kick it but you have some special individuals for that , they become important in that office of operation within offices.So lets take it easy. KBY
Who you are determines how you see things.What we see gets a meaning from our perception and from who we are.A loser sees from a loser’s eye while a winner sees things from a winner’s eye. Someone sees a glass of water half full while another sees the same glass half empty – one is a pessimist while the other is an optimist. By the end of the day the meaning comes from who we are and our perception. How do you see your team Sundowns at this point in time?in Africa? in the PSL?It will surprise you, while Africa sees Sundowns as a mountain ,a real Kilimanjaro in football, a dear faithful supporter just sees an ant hill. How do you see things?Go Sundowns go, fight and make the Yellow Nation swell with pride, if you can hear me boasting about Sundowns amongst my colleagues they have no choice but to say your team as if l am a shareholder, imagine if they can load the second star , imagine if they can lift that cup that already other teams are lifting? That’s how l see things of late, how we may arrive there l am not sure except determination, focus and hard work. 21H00 on SS9, KbY
I would like to thank you Jingles for not fielding Arendse in your starting line-up and instead you put my main man Lebusa no more back tracking and inviting opponents on your half like Arendse.
Pls Dawanas don’t get me wrong I love Arendse but I think the mileages are gone now let him retire even though he doesn’t field himself but the coach.
Kick Boboza My Outie I know I’m a bad critic to you but today let me say the starting lineup is good,lastly Coach don’t wait until late to substitute Vila and Mahlambi are eagerly waiting on the bench this people want to be dribbled thoroughly and the speed of Morena and Mahlambi after that they will get frustrated and crack,let the game begins I can’t wait,Kby forever
Dawanas this is the Downs I started supporting it in 1986 engu Fearfokol Umoya Wami Uyavuma,laba ePta sobadla luhlaza serious.
Mosa Lebusa my main man I’ve been crying about you all along boy
Hard luck Masandawana today but well done at the same time by scoring that vital away goal and keeping the score as low as 2-1.We will do it in Pretoria. In this team i believe i will support every player that is fielded by the coach there will always be players at the stands. Ka bo yellow.
A fair result. Keep the faith supporters, keep the determination players, Keep the focus technical team, one game at a time, at least we final had a score in Morocco , next time we will win there, we also have a fair record at home…
Today the coach must rest the
following players
For championz league
Kekana for Jali
Zwane for Villa
& Ngcongca for
Morena
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