Shalulile fires 10-man Downs to emphatic victory in Sudan
Namibian hitman Peter Shalulile caught the Sudanese cold with a shuddering punch to leave them bloodied in the second minute and they never fully recovered.
The game was in its infancy when Shalulile caught the Al Hilal defence napping to give Sundowns the lead in Omdurman to set up this highly impressive 4-2 win away from home.
Even more impressive, Sundowns played the remaining 80 minutes with 10 men after defender Brian Onyango was shown a red card and Thapelo Morena registered a brace.
Sundowns came into this Caf Champions League clash having already secured a place in the last eight but this means they will finish the group stages on top of the standings.
For Al Hilal, their hopes of reaching the next round hang by a thread as they have to beat Egyptian giants Al Ahly in Cairo to sneak through.
Sundowns coaches Manqoba Mngqithi, Steve Komphela and Rulani Mokwena made three changes to the team that beat Al Ahly 10 last weekend at FNB Stadium.
Reyaad Pieterse replaced Kennedy Mweene while Teboho Mokoena came in for Mothobi Mvala and Lesedi Kapinga took the place of Khuliso Mudau.
Shalulile opened the scoring in the second minute when he was allowed space inside the box to compose himself and put the ball past goalkeeper Saeed Mohammed.
Sundowns suffered a huge blow after 10 minutes when defender Onyango saw a red card for bringing opposition attacker Eid Mugadam down on the edge of the box.
Gambian referee Bakary Gassama sent him for an early shower because Mugadam had a clear scoring opportunity.
Because of Onyango’s dismissal, Downs coaches changed the shape of their team and sacrificed midfielder Themba Zwane for defender Grant Kekana.
While Al Hilal failed to effectively use their numerical advantage, the influential Zwane got much needed rest.
Kekana slotted into the central defensive role vacated by Onyango to join Rushine de Reuck, with Thapelo Morena and Lyle Lakay operating at right and left back, respectively.
Despite being a man down, the Brazilians continued to dominate and it came as no surprise when they increased their lead on the half-hour mark with a long-range free kick by Teboho Mokoena.
The home side pulled one back early on in the second half when substitute attacker Yasir Mozamil managed to control the ball and slip past the outstretched arms of Pieterse after 56 minutes.
Sundowns pulled away again with a late Morena brace and Al Hilal scored their consolation through Osman Eltayib deep in injury time.