Mamelodi Sundowns striker Peter Shalulile reached a huge milestone as the Brazilians secured a 2-0 victory over AmaZulu FC in the Betway Premiership on Tuesday at Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium.
The Namibian forward etched his name into club history, reaching the coveted 100-goal mark for Sundowns with his second half strike. He is also closing in on Siyabonga Nomvethe’s PSL goal record of 129 goals. Currently, Shalulile has scored 127 goals in the top-flight.
The other goal was scored by the Brazilian attacker Arthur Sales, his fifth in all competitions this season.
Notably, Ronwen Williams and Divine Lunga, who had been out of action for some time due to injuries, returned to the Sundowns starting line-up.
As anticipated, AmaZulu had limited possession in the early stages of the match. However, they aimed to exploit their pace on the counter-attack, utilising the speed of Tshepang Moremi.
Usuthu also maintained a significant defensive presence within their own half when not in possession.
Subsequently, the Brazilians attempted to penetrate AmaZulu’s compact defensive formation by utilising a couple of long diagonal passes aimed at bypassing their narrow structure.
In the 16th minute, Veli Mothwa produced a spectacular save, thwarting Jayden Adams, who had unleashed a curling shot from the edge of the penalty area.
Arthur Zwane’s team maintained high pressure on their opponents, effectively limiting their playing space.
Moments later, Iqraam Rayners then squandered a golden opportunity to give the home side the lead. One-on-one against Mothwa, the striker failed to control a lobbed through ball from Teboho Mokoena.
The score remained goalless at the interval.
At the start of the second half, Miguel Cardoso made an attacking substitution, replacing Lunga with Arthur Sales to inject more dynamism into their attack.
In the 50th minute, Sundowns eventually broke the deadlock through Peter Shalulile. He scored into an empty net after dribbling around Mothwa, who had rushed off his line.
AmaZulu began to come out of their own half, seeking an immediate response and aiming to secure at least a point from the away fixture.
In the 72nd minute, Mothwa pulled off a great save, tipping Sales’ shot over the bar to keep Sundowns from going further ahead.
In the 87th minute, the Tshwane side extended their advantage to two goals through Arthur Sales, who scored past Mothwa following a pass from Ribeiro.
With this win, Sundowns extended their lead on top of the table with 18 points after 22 matches.
OTHER RESULTS
• Magesi 1-0 Richards Bay FC
• TS Galaxy 3-1 SuperSport United
• Stellenbosch FC 0-0 Orlando Pirates
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