Shalulile sets Downs record
PETER Shalulile scored a second successive Premiership hat-trick as Mamelodi Sundowns strolled to a 6-0 win over Golden Arrows to become the first player to score 21 league goals for the club. Shalulile’s historic scoring spree leaves him only four goals shy of matching the record of Collins Mbesuma, who banged in 25 league goals in one season in the colours of Kaizer Chiefs.
Sundowns’ comfortable win over Arrows at Loftus yesterday meant that they are just five points away from winning a record fifth title in a row.
The Brazilians have been so good that they’ve scored 22 goals in their last five matches in all competitions, making their chase for an unprecedented four trophies this season more likely than ever. Sundowns lead the league charts with 57 points, while they are in the Caf Champions League quarter-finals and in the Nedbank Cup semi-finals.
The Brazilians came into this match having hammered amateur side Summerfield
Dynamos 5-0 in the Nedbank Cup. Despite resting some of their key players, including Shalulile and Themba Zwane, for their tie against Dynamos, Sundowns were expected to be given a run for their money by the top-eightchasing Arrows. However, that wasn’t the case. When the whistle blew for half-time, the champions were already home and dry, having long converted the match into a training session as they were 3-0 up. Gaston Sirino opened the scoring for the Brazilians after George Maluleka whipped a telling diagonal ball that found an overlapping Mosa Lebusa, who managed to bring down the highball before the Uruguayan tapped home the subsequent pass.*
This was Sirino’s second goal in as many matches.
However, one person who’ll be thrilled with his contribution is Maluleka.
The 33-year-old is enjoying a new lease of life at the club, having made his third start in the last four games, where he contributed with a goal and two assists.
But the first half belonged to Shalulile as he climbed to 20 league goals with five games still left in the season. For his first goal of the afternoon, Shalulile rose high in the box to connect with a welltaken Lyle Lakay corner-kick as he headed past Nkosingiphile Gumede.
The Brazilians strolled towards the third strike as Bradley Ralani released Zwane before he unleashed a cut-back pass that found Shalulile, who rattled home his second goal of the match. Shalulile and Co didn’t take their collective foot off the pedal in the second half as they continued to inflict misery on Arrows. The Namibian star scored the fourth goal after capitalising on Thabani Zuke’s slip at the back, before Pavol Safranko and Kermit Erasmus came off the bench to put the final nails in the coffin. |