Staff Reporter.
Mamelodi Sundowns made it five wins from five at the start of the new DStv Premiership season after they edged Richards Bay 1-0 at the King Goodwill Zwelithini Stadium on Wednesday evening.
It took Sundowns just 11 minutes to open the scoring when Junior Mendieta capped off a fine move to register his first goal for his new club, although the Natal Rich Boyz didn’t sit back and carved out some chances themselves.
However, the Brazilians held on to pull further away from the chasing pack albeit with a couple of games in hand as the KZN outfit went 18 matches without a win in the top flight.
Kaitano Tembo was still searching for the first win of his tenure at Richards Bay after picking up one point from his opening three games, while Sundowns looked to maintain their perfect start to the campaign which saw them open up a five-point gap at the top of the table.
The visitors almost got off to a flyer when Lesiba Nku pounced on a mistake at the back from the Natal Rich Boyz before firing narrowly over the target from outside the box in the second minute.
Justice Figuareido then tried his luck from distance at the other end on five minutes, but Ronwen Williams was able to watch the ball sail well wide of his right post.
Clinical Finish
Mendieta failed to test Jamal Salim from range moments later, although Masandawana made the breakthrough on 10 minutes as the Argentine latched onto an exquisite through-ball from Lucas Ribeiro and picked out the bottom left corner of the net with a clinical finish.
The hosts created some good chances of their own, however, and Romario Dlamini drew a fine save out of Williams with a header midway through the first half, while Sanele Barns lined up two shots from range that missed the target before the half-hour mark.
Salim was alert to the danger when Marcelo Allende took aim from the edge of the area on 29 minutes and Ribeiro flashed a shot just wide of the right post four minutes later after being played in by Mendieta.
Richards Bay pushed for an equaliser in the closing stages of the first half, with Austin Dube sending a free-kick wide of the left post on 41 minutes before Nkululeko Miya glanced a header wide of the far post from close range and Tshepo Mabua just missed the target with a strike from range in stoppage time.
Nku was presented with another chance early in the second half, but dragged his shot just wide of the right post in the 46th minute and Aubrey Modiba gave Salim some work to do four minutes later when he surged towards goal after producing a neat turn in midfield to open up space.
Nku was just inches away from doubling Downs’ lead soon afterwards when he met Teboho Mokoena’s cross on the half-volley which flew narrowly wide of the left post, while Letsie Koapeng should perhaps have done better as he directed a header straight at a relieved Williams from Figuareido’s cross on 66 minutes.
Terrence Mashego had a late opportunity to score for Sundowns, but the substitute dragged his shot wide of the near post from inside the box on the left in the 87th minute.
DSTV Premiership Results
Sekhukhune United 1-0 Cape Town City.