There are still four match days to play in the South African Premier League and in the last few days there seemed to have been a small preliminary decision in the title race. The Mamelodi Sundowns won two supplementary games in a row and are now leaders with a comfortable four-point lead and one game less than their most dangerous opponents AmaZulu.
In two more games, which were added during the week, the Orlando Pirates were able to push themselves back to third place with a victory over the Black Leopards and Tshakhuma made an important step out of the relegation zone with a 2-1 against the Kaizer Chiefs and thus shot the 13-time champion further into crisis. The fact that the games were very exciting and eventful can also be seen from the live statistics of the Premier League, in which, by the way, only 2.21 goals per game were scored on average this season.
Sundowns celebrate a compelling success against the Orlando Pirates
The 0-3 home loss against the Sundowns was Orlando Pirates’ first home defeat of the current season. The Sundowns, in turn, confirmed their title ambitions. Already in the first half, the new league leader was the better team, as the live trend data shows. In the second half, a penalty from the Brazilian Ricardo then gave the lead, in a phase when the game was very even. In the last 15 minutes of the game, it was a one-two punch in a great Sundowns period that finally decided the game. Peter Shalulile with his tenth goal of the season and Lyle Lakay ensured a well-deserved success of the Sundowns.
Sundowns follow up against Maritzburg
On Wednesday the Sundowns went up again. With a 2-0 win over Maritzburg United, the yellow-blue expanded their lead. Curiously, it was a Ricardo penalty again, at a time when both teams weren’t doing much for the game, that set the direction for the hosts. It would not have been a surprise if Maritzburg had taken the lead in the first half. The visiting team built up good pressure, launched many attacks, but hardly had any chances to score. In the second half, however, the Sundowns left no questions unanswered and were the better team with significantly more pressure until the final phase. Gift Motupa finally made everything clear with his first goal of the season in the 71st minute.
Kaizer Chiefs remain disappointing
Already on Tuesday the Kaizer Chiefs had to accept the next disappointment. Away against Tshakhuma, the team with the worst attack in the league, last year’s runner-up lost 2-1. It was only the third game of the current season in which Tshakhuma has scored two goals – the team has never scored three goals. A red card for Njabulo Blum from the Kaizer Chiefs put the hosts in a comfortable situation. Still, the game was largely even. Thabo Rakhale gave Tshakhuma the lead, but Lebogang Manyama equalized in the second half. Appropriate to the situation of the Kaizer Chiefs: A penalty from Thabo Mnyamane ensured the home win in the eighth minute of stoppage time.
The lights go out at the Black Leopards
For the Black Leopards, relegation after the 0-3 defeat at the Orlando Pirates is becoming increasingly unlikely. Six points are already missing on the relegation spot and seven on the saving 14th rank. Away at the Orlando Pirates, however, the Leopards also presented themselves as ‘ready for relegation’. The team could not build up permanent pressure during the entire game, only shot twice on target. The fact that they were able to save themselves with a 0-0 into half-time was already the most positive thing about the game. In the second half, however, the Pirates shifted up a gear and the Black Leopards had no chance. Two Mabasa goals and another Mhango goal in the closing stages of the game sealed the Black Leopards’ 15th loss of the season.
