Mamelodi Sundowns (2) 3
Rayners 29 Adams 40 Maseko 80
Chippa United 0
LOFTUS VERSFELD – THE eighth successive championship is within reach. The title is but just a win and a draw away. And it would take a capitulation of epic proportions last seen in the local game way back in 1987 for Sundowns not to win the inaugural Betway Premiership title.
Two first half goals and another after the break were enough to see Sundowns bag maximum points and take their tally for the season to 64 after 25 matches, just four away from securing an unassailable lead atop the table.
They now need only beat Stellenbosch FC at the weekend and then get at least a point at the same Chippa next week.
On the strength of last night’s showing at a sparsely populated Loftus that nevertheless reverberated under drum beat and song you’d have sworn it was sold out, the Premier Soccer League might just as well instruct the engraver to adorn the new trophy with Mamelodi Sundowns’ name.
Against a team they’ve never lost to in the league, Sundowns were always favourites for the victory. But football is fickle at the top and nothing can ever be taken for granted.
The Brazilians are thorough professionals though and they were never going to slip, at least not after they’d seen chasing Orlando Pirates win at Golden Arrows the day before.
Iqram Rayners opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark with the easiest of tap ins from close range after Khuliso Mudau had made a superb run on the right flank and delivered sweetly for the Capetonian to net his 12th league goal of the season.
The second goal was essentially a gift courtesy of Chippa goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, the Nigerian international incredulously punching a Teb0ho Mokoena freekick with the kind of power that would not have broken an egg.
The ball hardly left the small box and Jayden Adams was never one to kick a gift horse in the mouth, the Bafana Bafana player slotting home the goal that killed the match off as a contest.
Such had been the ease with which Sundowns dominated the initial stanza that expectations were they would at least double their lead.
And they could have and should have done that and more as they fashioned up a few chances to score but fluffed them, substitute Lucas Ribeiro wasting a glorious chance with just Nwabali in front of him.
Thapelo Maseko, who also came on mid match, made sure when he was sent through by Arthur Sales to make the scoreline somewhat truly reflective of the equivalent of the Sunday morning park kick-about they had here as they edged ever so close to that record extending eighth successive title.
