Staff Reporter.
Mamelodi Sundowns claimed a hard-fought 1-0 win over Tshwane derby rivals SuperSport United at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday night, opening a 14-point lead at the top of the DStv Premiership standings.
The result, secured by an early goal from Peter Shalulile, saw the Brazilians move to 37 points from a possible 45 this season and they remain unbeaten after 15 rounds – the halfway point of their league campaign.
Nearest chasers Orlando Pirates are 14 points back after winning earlier on Saturday, while Sekhukhune United could narrow the gap back to 11 points if they win away to Kaizer Chiefs on Sunday.
Matsatsantsa, who have been hit hard by injuries and Covid absences, suffered a fifth loss of the campaign and dropped to fifth place – 15 points off the pace set by their capital city rivals.
Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi says they made the game against United tough for themselves after missing numerous chances.
“I think it was a very tough match, but I think to a certain extend we made it tough. We got some chances that we could have buried, but also credit must be given to them,” Mngqithi said during post-match interview.
“First three minutes of the game, they got a very good shot from zone 14 in front of our defence. The same first minute second half, they also got a shot in that space.
“On set-pieces they are always a big factor we knew that. A lot of crosses brought into our box, but I think the boys fought very hard.
“We made it difficult for ourselves by not finishing the chances that we got because I think the anxiety started to creep in when we could not terminate our chances and from there we started making some silly mistakes technically in losing the ball.
“But I think the way we finished was even much better because we started pushing them a little bit higher with Mothobi’s (Mvala) introduction I think we became stronger and stronger in the midfield.