Mamelodi Sundowns maintained their fine unbeaten run in the DStv Premiership following their 1-0 win over Royal AM at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday evening.
Peter Shalulile’s 85th-minute goal earned Masandawana maximum points, extending their lead to 66 points from 26 matches at the summit of the DStv Premiership table.
Below are the talking points from this encounter.
MAMELODI SUNDOWNS REMAIN UNBEATEN
Bafana Ba Style are yet to suffer defeat in the DStv Premiership this season. The Rulani Mokwena-coached side is the first PSL team to go unbeaten in the first 26 games of the league this campaign.
Sundowns’ win against Thwihli Thwahla extended their overall record unbeaten run to 50 games.
In fact, the Chloorkop-based outfit has gone 617 days without losing a match. The last time the Brazilians lost a league game was on 2 September 2022, when they were beaten 2-1 by cross-town rivals SuperSport United.
MAMELODI SUNDOWNS PLAYERS RULED OUT
Sundowns came into this match without nine of their key players due to injuries.
The nine players ruled out of this showpiece are Rushine De Reuck [knee injury, stage 3 rehabilitation], Teboho Mokoena [hamstring injury, stage 3 rehabilitation], Abdelmounaim Boutouil [groin injury, Post Operation, Stage 1 rehabilitation], Siyanda Nyanga [knee injury, Post Operation, Stage 3 rehabilitation], Thapelo Maseko [ankle injury, Stage 2 rehabilitation].
Bongani Zungu [ankle injury, Stage 4 rehabilitation], Lucas Ribeiro [hamstring injury, Stage 1 rehabilitation], Grant Kekana [hamstring injury, Stage 1 rehabilitation], and Themba Zwane [hamstring injury, Stage 2 rehabilitation].
Meanwhile, Sundowns were also without the services of goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, who accumulated four yellow cards and defender Mosa Lebusa, who received a red card against Golden Arrows during the midweek.
MAMELODI SUNDOWNS AND ROYAL AM MEET FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS CAMPAIGN
Sundowns and Royal AM are meeting for the first time this campaign, making 11 May the latest date in a PSL season for two top-flight teams to play the first of their two fixtures [the previous latest was Sundowns v Platinum Stars on 22 April 2017], as per Opta Jabu statistics.
MAMELODI SUNDOWNS NOT CLINICAL
Despite having scored a goal, Sundowns were not clinical in front of goal. However, they looked to be the better team on the night.
The visitors couldn’t shake things up and take command of the clash and barely created many goalscoring opportunities.
OTHER RESULTS
In other results, Moroka Swallows have ended Stellenbosch FC’s unbeaten run [19] in the DStv Premiership following a 2-0 win at Dobsonville Stadium, thanks to Gabadinho Mhango’s brace.
Meanwhile, Polokwane City FC played out to a 0-0 draw with Sekhukhune United at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium.
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