Mamelodi Sundowns continued their impressive run under coach Miguel Cardoso with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Richards Bay FC on Saturday afternoon at the King Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi.
The win extends their unbeaten streak in the league to seven games and keeps them firmly at the top of the standings at the end of year 2024. They last tasted defeat in the Carling Knockout Cup final against Magesi FC last month.
In the Richards Bay game, Arthur Sales broke the deadlock in the 19th minute, while Lucas Ribeiro also got his name on the scoresheet netting in the 66th minute.
This is Sundowns’ second consecutive match playing in Durban. Last time out they faced AmaZulu FC at Moses Mabhida Stadium and claimed a narrow 1-0 victory in the last minute.
As for Richards Bay, they were aiming to register back-to-back victories for the first time this campaign. Last time out, they claimed the KZN Derby bragging rights after defeating Golden Arrows 1-0.
MAMELODI SUNDOWNS OPEN A SIX-POINT GAP AT THE SUMMIT OF THE LOG
The victory saw Masandawana open a six-point gap at the summit of the log with 30 points from 11 matches. On the other hand, the Natal Rich Boys are still in the relegation zone with eight points from 12 outings.
In addition, the reigning league champions – Sundowns, are yet to concede a goal under coach Cardoso, following four consecutive clean sheets. In front of goal, they have netted five goals.
IQRAAM RAYNERS STARTS FROM THE BENCH
A surprise omission in the Sundowns’ starting line-up was in-form striker Iqraam Rayners as he started on the bench and came in the 60th minute. The Bafana Bafana international has scored in his last three matches in all competitions for the club. He was replaced by Arthur Sales, who netted his second goal for the club.
In another encounter played on Saturday afternoon at Mpumalanga Stadium, Golden Arrows and Polokwane City FC played out to a 0-0 draw.
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