Late Goals Lift Sundowns Past Sekhukhune United To Extend Betway Premiership Lead
Brayan León and Nuno Santos struck late as Mamelodi Sundowns secured a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Sekhukhune United in a Betway Premiership clash at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Tuesday night.
The result underlined Sundowns’ winning mentality, as the defending champions moved to 32 points from 15 matches, opening a three-point gap over second-placed Orlando Pirates, albeit having played two games more.
Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso made several changes to his starting line-up, handing a debut to new defender Khulumane Ndamane, who joined the club from TS Galaxy during the January transfer window. Ndamane partnered Kegan Johannes in central defence, with Johannes having been close to a move to Siwelele in the off-season.
Up front, Brayan León was handed a start alongside Iqraam Rayners, with the Colombian having already found the net against Orbit College when domestic football resumed after the Africa Cup of Nations.
There was also a change in goal, as Cardoso opted for Denis Onyango, resting Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams with an eye on the upcoming CAF Champions League group-stage return leg against Al Hilal in Rwanda.
Sekhukhune came into the match on the back of a goalless draw with Orlando Pirates at the same venue on Saturday and once again adopted a patient, counter-attacking approach against Sundowns.
The Brazilians’ best chance of the first half arrived three minutes before the break, when León held off his marker but fired a shot straight at goalkeeper Renaldo Leaner, who saved with his legs. Leaner was again called into action on the stroke of half-time, pushing Rayners’ effort wide for a corner.
Sekhukhune emerged as the better side early in the second half, with Thabang Monare breaking down the left to deliver a cross for Sikhosonke Langa, but the right-back failed to hit the target from inside the box.
Leaner continued his impressive performance, denying Sundowns once more after Tashreeq Matthews skipped past his marker before unleashing a powerful shot that the goalkeeper punched clear.
Cardoso then turned to PSL all-time leading goalscorer Peter Shalulile in search of a breakthrough. The Namibian forward came close with an acrobatic effort before later missing the target with a header.
The deadlock was finally broken in stoppage time, when Nuno Santos, introduced in the second half, calmly placed his shot past Leaner in the 91st minute, sparking wild celebrations from Cardoso on the touchline. The goal was created by the persistence of Khuliso Mudau, who kept the ball in play before setting up the Portuguese winger.
Amid growing pressure on Cardoso following fan unrest over the weekend, the late goal brought visible relief to the Sundowns bench.
Sundowns sealed the win in the 94th minute, as León pounced after Leaner parried an effort from Shalulile into his path, tapping home to score his second goal in three matches and complete a scoreline that looked comfortable only in the end.
