Rampant Downs dim Stars
Boost ahead of Club World Cup
PERCY Tau scored two more goals‚ while Mamelodi Sundowns’ vaunted “CBD” attack made a return to action just in time for the team’s departure for Japan in Saturday’s 4-1 victory against Free State Stars at Loftus Versfeld.
Perhaps the only aspect about Downs’ Premier League send-off before they leave today for the Fifa Club World Cup in Japan that might have been disappointing was that an inexperienced Stars rolled over a little easily in the second half.
Afterwards Stars coach Giovanni Solinas admitted that his resourcechallenged team‚ who lost a number of their best players at the end of last season‚ need bolstering to be competitive in the PSL.
But a well organised‚ fighting Stars held Sundowns to 1-1 by the break. The Brazilians had to step up the tempo and combinations to overwhelm Ea Lla Koto.
Downs coach Pitso Mosimane had said in recent weeks that Tau has now firmly put himself up as a fourth dimension to the CBD. That was confirmed with another storming performance by the 21-year-old on Saturday in a match that also saw the Leonardo Castro-Khama Billiat-Keagan Dolly combination fielded for the first time in a starting lineup since July. And the CBD were on song too. “This game was a little bit difficult for both teams. It was too hot – 32°C – for both teams‚ and on a big pitch‚” Mosimane said.
“But we played a very organised team. We can see the coach is very good. They didn’t give us opportunities to go in easily. We had to hustle with a lot of combination play.
“You have to credit the goal that Keagan scored – it was one of the beautiful goals.
“I think you saw a lot of beautiful goals – Percy’s also. I liked the header because he hung there and waited for it. For his height it’s unbelievable.
“Also the second one he scored was just amazing. Percy is just a new gold mine we have just found‚ and you still have to mine and mine it. I think he’s still at 60%‚ and the best is yet to come.
“It’s good to have the CBD back on the pitch. The guys in the change room have been giving them a hard time and coming up with other names.
“But they said‚ ‘Ja‚ give us some time and one match and we’ll be back’.
“And they responded well today. It was beautiful to see Khama scoring‚ Leo giving all the balls‚ and Keagan.
“But Percy always emerges there‚ and that’s good.”
Saturday’s front-line of Castro at centre-forward in front of Tau at deep striker‚ with Billiat on the right and Dolly on the left could give any team in the world problems.
That is exactly what Sundowns will need against international superstars.