Mamelodi Sundowns surged to the top of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) with an inspiring 1-0 victory over Bloemfontein Celtic at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Wednesday night.
After throwing bodies at the usually steady Celtic defence, Sundowns were rewarded through a Surprise Moriri header midway through the second half to eclipse rivals Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs in the ongoing top of the table war.
Sundowns showed glimpses of greatness with the multitalented squad they have assembled and were all over their opponents from the start of the game until the death.
The result was never really in doubt as the home team controlled the tempo and pace of the game, and the only concern for the multitude of Sundowns fans was when the victory would be sealed.
And when Sundowns had stamped their authority on the game, they went in search of the killer blow and were only denied by wayward shooting from strikers Lerato Chabangu and Jose Torrealba, who failed to find their rhythm in this encounter.
Torrealba could have long bagged the game for Sundowns but narrowly missed the target, twice, in the opening exchanges of the second half, which resulted in Sundowns mentor Angel Cappa pulling him off in favour of Peter Ndlovu, who seemed to galvanise the Sundowns onslaught.
Much credit for the victory came courtesy of the tireless efforts of the Sundowns midfield, astutely marshalled by Godfrey Sapula and Clement Mazibuko with the nuggety Vuyo Mere feeding off them.
Sapula, Mazibuko and Mere left gaping holes in the belly of Celtic, allowing the Sundowns forward machine to run rampant and giving Ndlovu and Chanbangu the opportunity to torment the Celtic defence with some insightful running.
It was on one of Ndlovu’s blistering surges that almost demoralised Celtic, the SAA Supa8 champions, when the much-vaunted Zimbabwean international sneaked through a pass to substitute Soga Sambo, who was denied by the crossbar with Celtic goalkeeper Simon Gopane counting the blades of grass on the lush Loftus turf.
However, the often resilient and stubborn Celtic never gave up and continuously tried to catch Sundowns on the counter, only to be trapped off-side on numerous occasions.
Celtic had done well to hold the Mamelodi side 0-0 at half-time, but the marathon PSL campaign got the better of the Bloemfontein outfit who were still in awe at their Cinderella run in the Supa8, which they won in style on Saturday.
Sundowns may have unconsciously brought Celtic down to earth, but what was more important for the new glamour boys of the PSL was that their campaign is back on track.
Draw for Santos, Dynamos
Santos coach Roger de Sa expressed his concern before the match about the conditions his side would face when they took on Dynamos at the Giyani Stadium, Polokwane, in a PSL match on Wednesday evening.
With that in mind, he probably considers the goalless draw in which the match ended almost as good as a win, but as his side had the better scoring opportunities, they should have come away with three points.
De Sa had been more concerned about the high temperatures than he was about the hard pitches, feeling the heat might take its toll in the second half.
But his team managed to pace themselves well and hold the home team at bay. They were also unlucky not to have had a penalty awarded just before the half-time whistle.
However, it is now the sixth draw in eight games for Santos so far this season. They also have one win and one loss, which leaves them smack in the middle of the log at the moment.
Dynamos, though, will be disappointed not to have capitalised on the home tie against Santos. This is their first draw of the season with two wins and three losses in their six outings and at the moment, they languish in 12th place on the log.
Leopards, Swallows share the spoils
Black Leopards and Moroka Swallows registered their second draws together in front of a sizeable crowd played at Thohoyandou Stadium on Wednesday night.
Both goalkeepers made sure that their score sheets remained blank at the interval.
In the second half, the strikers from both sides started attacking, causing the goalkeepers and defenders to work overtime.
Leopards striker Mulondo Sikhwivhilu struck a powerful shot registering the team’s first goal in the 57th minute, but the goal inspired Swallows front-liners to wake up and they started knocking at the Leopards’ goal mouth again and again.
Swallows striker Thapelo Liau was unfortunate when his shot hit the upright and the Leopards defender quickly cleared the ball off the line.
A minute later, Liau made amends and equalised for the ”Beautiful Birds”, making sure that both teams shared the points and giving Gavin Hunt temporary relief from stress and frustration.
Black Leopards now have 11 points from seven games, including two draws, and are lying in position four on the log, while Moroka Swallows, from seven games and two draws, have collected eight points and remain at position 10.
Bush Bucks win
In a dress rehearsal for Saturday’s Coca-Cola knockout match, Bush Bucks ran out winners by the odd goal in three against Ajax Cape Town in a PSL game played at the Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on Wednesday night. The teams were 1-1 at the interval, but the strong south-easter blowing spoilt the game.
The home side had many opportunities to take the full three points, but poor shooting saw them score only the one goal.
Bush Bucks came close in the seventh minute when Fisher Kondowe’s 25m drive just went over the bar. Two minutes later, it was the home side who lost a golden opportunity when Stanton Lewis had an open goal but kicked high over. Lewis moved smartly down the right flank in the 17th minute, centred and Wilfred Mugeyi and goalkeeper Tampungu Dikete collided in an attempt to get to the ball.
Five minutes later, Granwald Scott should have opened the score for the home side, but instead of volleying, he tried to control the ball and lost it.
Bush Bucks opened the score in the 25th minute when Sibusiso Mazibuko’s free kick from the right was not cleared by the Ajax defence and James Chamanga headed home.
Ajax were on level terms in the 33rd minute when Lewis made good ground down the right, centred and Mugeyi’s pin-pointed header was placed wide of the goalkeeper.
In the 56th minute, Chamanga’s powerful shot was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Moeneeb Josephs, but a minute later the visitors took the lead when a melee developed from the resulting corner kick and Edmore Mashiri scored.
In the dying moments, Kondowe’s shot hit the upright and came out. — Sapa