Staff Reporter.
Mamelodi Sundowns scored two second-half goals to beat Sekhukhune United 2-0 at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Tshwane on Saturday for a 14th consecutive victory.
After five minutes of action, both Sundowns and Sekhukhune produced efforts on goal, as a battle for ball possession broke out in the middle of the park.
With the dust beginning to settle, Sundowns saw more of the ball and looked to gain control of the game. However, Babina Noko actively searched for any openings in the Downs half and pressed high up the pitch.
As the 20 minute mark approached, Sundowns held up to 67 per cent ball possession, restricting Babina Noko to guarding the edges of their 18-yard area.
Sundowns found joy making way down the right-hand side of the Sekhukhune United defence and carved out a couple of goal scoring opportunities in the process. As the half came to a close, Sundowns found an extra gear and breached the Sekhukhune backline on a couple of occasions.
That said, Downs were unable to make the most of their chances, as the two sides headed into the break with the score tied at 0-0.
Shalulile broke the deadlock five mins after the restart, after completing a well-constructed passing move inside the Sekhukhune penalty box. As Sirino manoeuvred his way into the danger area, his effort at goal was intercepted by Shalulile who guided the ball home.
With an hour of football played at Loftus, the Downs reinforcements made an immediate impact on the game as the tempo of their build up play went up a notch. Amid Downs dominance, Sekhukhune found the back of the net on two occasions, however both efforts were chalked off as offside decisions.
During Sundowns positive momentum, Allende received his marching orders in the 77th minute, following a rash challenge on Ngobeni. With the extra man to their advantage, Sekhukhune pressed on in search of an equaliser.
However, Downs doubled their lead five minutes before time as Mailula got his name on the scoresheet. In what was an awkward end to the match for Sundowns, the home side held on to record their 14th consective win in the league.
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