Mamelodi Sundowns (1) 2 Khoza 21’, Mailula 67’
Marumo Gallants (0) 0
Cassius Mailula’s dream return to Mamelodi Sundowns continued, with the forward’s third goal in four matches sealing a comfortable 2-0 Betway Premiership victory for the CAF champions over Marumo Gallants at Loftus Versfeld on Wednesday evening.
Mailula’s second-half strike closed out the match after Malibongwe Khoza had put Masandawana ahead in the first half.
The victory has, however, come at a heavy cost, with Bafana Bafana right-back Khuliso Mudau heading off after just 37 minutes with a severe injury.
The home team dominated all facets of the game, particularly the possession and territorial advantage, and should have had much more to show for their efforts than a slender 1-0 lead at the half-time break.
Fawaaz Basadien was back in the starting line-up after missing out against Kaizer Chiefs over the weekend, and once again showed what a quality player he is when given the opportunity.
The left wing-back tested Gallants’ debutant goalkeeper Emile Lako early on with a snap-shot, but the Cameroonian was up to the task. Basadien was involved in the build-up again a couple of minutes later when he floated a cross into the Gallants box, where he found Brayan Leon, but the Colombian could only manage to direct his header straight at Lako.
Gallants were sleepwalking in this opening quarter, and Sundowns were throwing the kitchen sink at them.
Bathusi Aubaas, deputising for the injured Teboho Mokoena, sent a long-range shot zipping over the Gallants crossbar before Leon attempted a spectacular bicycle kick that, had it been a metre either side of Lako, would have settled in the Gallants net.
The visitors were certainly shell-shocked and were fortunate not to be punished when Lako went walkabout outside his box, only to be dispossessed by Marcelo Allende, but again Sundowns could not capitalise.
But with Sundowns camping inside Gallants’ penalty area, the dam wall had to burst, and it eventually did when Basadien floated in a cross to the far post, where Aubaas headed back to Malibongwe Khoza, who drilled the ball home to give Sundowns the lead.
Sundowns’ dominance did not end with the opener, as they continued to create chances aplenty, with winger Tashreeq Matthews also scuppering an opportunity to extend the lead shortly before the break when he pulled his shot wide of the far post.
The narrative remained the same in the second stanza, with Cassius Mailula, who was handed a first Betway Premiership start after his goal against Chiefs over the weekend, also wasting an opportunity after being put clean through on goal.
Every missed chance provided Gallants with the hope that they could possibly burgle an equaliser on the counter-attack, and even more so when the experienced Themba Zwane, who was a second-half substitute, also missed a gilt-edged chance in the Gallants box.
But the game was finally put to bed when Mailula redeemed himself by keeping his nerve with his second successive goal, and third of the season, to seal the points for Sundowns.
