Sundowns stay ahead as title race goes down to wire

FORGET the frills and thrills‚ it is just bump and grind at this stage of the season‚ Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane said as his side kept their noses in front in the title race after Wednesday’s matches for all the top contenders.

Sundowns scored in either half at Loftus Versfeld to beat Chippa United 2-0 and stay a single point ahead of second-placed Orlando Pirates‚ who won 2-1 against Bloemfontein Celtic at the Orlando Stadium.

Downs have a game in hand as the season heads to an exciting conclusion.

“They have been a thorn in the flesh for us‚ not easy‚” Mosimane said of Port Elizabeth-based club Chippa‚ who had not lost to Sundowns in their preceding four head-to-head clashes.

“We didn’t start well‚ we struggled a little bit‚ you could see the game on Sunday took a lot from us‚” the coach said‚ referring to the Nedbank Cup quarterfinal win away over Cape Town City on Sunday.

“We couldn’t find our free-flowing passing in the first 20 minutes but that’s not such a big problem as long as you are not in danger.

“Let’s be honest‚ they could have scored from their first two breaks but Denis [Onyango] came to the party and showed he is a big goalkeeper.

“But as the game went on‚ we knew the goal would come and I think we managed that.

“We checked any breaks they might have had on counterattacks. We sought to look after the ball. Once we got the second goal it was left to us just to manage the game‚” Mosimane said. – TimesLIVE