Downs close in on leaders
Mamelodi Sundowns moved within five points of Absa Premiership leaders Kaizer Chiefs when they held out for a hard fought 2-1 win over Black Leopards last night at the Thohoyandou Stadium.
While Mosa Lebusa (above) was voted Man-of-the-Match, it was striker Ali Meza who did most of the spade work in the first-half.
He assisted Themba Zwane’s opener when he turned Khomotso Masia inside out down the left flank before he played a delightful ball to Zwane, who only needed to toe poke the ball past Jonas Mendes. He made no mistake and fired past the Leopards goal-minder to stick Sundowns’ noses in front in the 25th minute.
Sundowns doubled-up just before referee Cedric Muvhali blew his whistle to signal half-time.
The goal came via a defensive nightmare by Chris Katjiukua. He back passed to his goalkeeper but Mendes was flat footed, not expecting the ball to come his way and it subsequently rolled into the back of the net. Gaston Sirino deserves the credit for forcing the confusion.
The start of the second half saw both teams going at each other pound for pound and the home side eventually found the back of the net through last season’s Absa Premiership top goalscorer Mwape Musonda.
The Zambian international – who donned the captain’s armband in the absence of club skipper Thabo Matlaba – scored what is worthy of being described as a marksman’s goal.
Musonda received the ball from Tshwarelo Bereng and he bolted the ball past one-time African Footballer and Goalkeeper of the Year Denis Onyango.
It was around the hour mark when Musonda scored his second goal of the season and Luc Eymael’s team had a couple of shouts for a penalty but the man in the middle dismissed all of those.
Pitso Mosimane then introduced Lebogang Maboe in the 70th minute and withdrew the Venezuelan forward Meza.
Eymael, had already made two substitutions earlier when he threw in Karabo Tshepe in the place of Andriamirado “Dax” Andrianarimanana.
In an attempt to close shop, the astute Mosimane withdrew his attacking wizard, Zwane, and threw in an extra defender in veteran left-back Tebogo Langerman. In the opposite dugout, Eymael gave former Sundowns striker Curthbert Malajila a run against his old club.