Substitutes shine as Sundowns Ladies defeat Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies

Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies etched closer to retaining the Hollywoodbets Super League title with a 3-0 win over Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies at the Mpumalanga Stadium in Hammarsdale on Sunday afternoon.

Substitutes Thalea Smidt and Rhoda Mulaudzi found the back of the net alongside Chuene Morifi’s strike to hand The Brazilians a dominant victory over one of the most in-form sides in the league.

Coach Jerry ‘Kappa’ Tshabalala retained the same team that conquered Thunderbirds Ladies in style with Sedilame Bosija in goal, Bambanani Mbane, Regina Mogolola, Khutso Pila, and Lehlogonolo Mashigo in defense, Chuene Morifi, Oratile Mokwena, and Boitumelo Rabale in midfield while Nonhlanhla Mthandi, Melinda Kgadiete, and Miche Minnies all retained their places.

The reigning champions dominated the first half with Chuene Morifi scoring from close range to register her 5th goal of the season. Thus, Sundowns Ladies went into the break with a narrow lead.

After the break, Coach Jerry made some substitutions with fit-again Rhoda Mulaudzi replacing Melinda Kgadiete while Thalea Smidt replaced Lehlogonolo Mashigo. Karabo Makhurubetshi was also introduced for Chuene Morifi.

Those substitutions amplified the momentum of the league leaders with Thalea Smidt conjuring a moment of magic with a strike from distance to make it 2-0.

Late on, Banyana Ba Style made it 3-0 thanks to another substitute Rhoda Mulaudzi as The Brazilians ended the game in style.

Thalea Smidt was full of praise for her teammates who showed great determination on the day, “We are so happy with our performance because Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies are a very formidable opponent who knows how to get results against the big teams. Thankfully, we showed great character to clinch the win today and we are happy with the result. I am also happy with my goal because it’s always good to get on the score sheet.”

Oratile Mokwena who also impressed in the middle of the park was happy with the three points.

“We are very happy with the outcome of this game because fixtures against Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies are never easy ones. They came guns blazing at us, but we kept our composure and stuck to the game plan. The first half was very tough, but we gained our confidence even more in the second period and we are very happy with the result,” Oratile stated.

The win ensured Sundowns Ladies retained their grip on the top spot of the standings with 55 points with a whopping 86 goals scored. Incredibly, The Brazilians are just one goal away from equalling last season’s total of 87 strikes (in 26 games). Coach Jerry’s troops still have 9 games to go!

The Brazilians are currently 7 points clear of second-placed TUT Ladies who played two games more. JVW FC finds themselves in third place with 45 points. 

On the goal-scoring front, Miche Minnies lead the way with 15 goals, one more than Boitumelo Rabale who is on 14 strikes. Andisiwe Mgcoyi has 10 goals to her name while Melinda Kgadiete has registered seven goals. Rhoda Mulaudzi has now scored six times.

Up next for Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies is a double-header against Vasco da Gama on Wednesday 5 October (away fixture) and Saturday (home fixture).