Chantelle Esau scored the only goal as Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies continued their fantastic form in the Hollywoodbets Super League with a 1-0 win over Durban Ladies on Sunday afternoon.
Having demolished Golden Ladies last time out, Coach Jerry ‘Kappa’ Tshabalala was gunning for more glory and started with an attacking line-up that featured Rhoda Mulaudzi, Miche Minnies, and Boitumelo Rabale.
The early period of the game saw both teams aiming to stamp their authority with tough tackles and key battles. In the 15th minute, Rhoda sustained an injury and had to be substituted by Thembelihle Masibi.
The remainder of the first half saw both teams miss several scoring opportunities, and nothing could separate the teams at the break.
Kappa then looked to the bench for more reinforcements with Nonhlanhla Mthandi and Chuene Morifi replacing Boitumelo Rabale and Gabonnelwe Kekana.
Sundowns Ladies eventually broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute thanks to a fine finish from Chantelle Esau who scored for the second game in succession.
More changes followed with Hlogi Mashigo and Bambanani Mbane replacing Miche Minnies and Lerato Kgasago. Despite some late chances from Durban Ladies, The Brazilians had done enough to seal a hard-fought victory.
Goalkeeper Asa Rabalao who retained her place in the starting line-up after her solid outing against Golden Ladies spoke about her performance against Durban Ladies.
“It’s so good to be back between the sticks after a long while thanks to the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and recent COSAFA qualifiers. We played so well against Golden Ladies, and we faced stiffer opposition today. The aim was to get maximum points in both games, and we fought gallantly. We created good chances against Durban Ladies, but unfortunately, we could not improve the score line. Nevertheless, we are happy with the result, and we are hoping to extend our impressive run in the next game,” the shot-stopper stated.
The slim victory meant Sundowns Ladies have now climbed up to third on the Hollywoodbets Super League standings with 12 wins recorded after 13 games played. The Brazilians have scored a league-high 57 goals and have conceded a joint-league best of nine goals.
On the Sundowns Ladies’ goal-scoring charts, Andisiwe Mgcoyi has scored 11 times, while Miche Minnies have nine goals to her name. Rhoda Mulaudzi has bagged five goals this season while new signing Salome Kekana has also scored five times.
Great fight from our Ladies!!!
Good on you ladies…