Mamelodi Sundowns stars Lucas Costa Ribeiro and Iqraam Rayners have set up a two-horse race for the Betway Premiership Golden Boot honours. The league marathon has just gotten over the halfway line, but the duo is peeling away from the other strikers, who are launching a chase of their own.
In their 3-1 win over Marumo Gallants last Wednesday, the Sundowns duo scored their goals two minutes apart as they ran riot over their opponents. Ribeiro reached his double figures and is sitting on 10 goals after he cued a shot into the net in the first half, making it 2-1. The Brazilian-born wizard is number one on the scorers’ list.
Rayners, a former Stellenbosch FC striker has definitely hit the ground running since he arrived at the Betway Premiership champions in the early stages of the current season. He added the third goal and his seventh in total in the league since he crossed the floor from Cape Town to Chloorkop. Sundowns annihilated “Bahlabani ba Ntwa”, as Gallants is affectionately known, 3-1 at the Petrus Molemela Stadium in Bloemfontein.
After the Marumo win, TS Galaxy were next and Rayners benefitted from the jamboree of goals that the Rockets gave to the Brazilians. Ribeiro may have not scored but Rayners grabbed himself an easy brace. He scored his eighth goal of the season after he drilled the ball into the net from close range – this was after a flowing move from the right where Thapelo Morena operated.
Later in the game, the Bafana Bafana striker scored the winner with an easy tap-in from the far-post. Sundowns annihilated Galaxy 4-1 on Saturday in Atteridgeville and Rayners is now just one goal behind his teammate Ribeiro in the scoring charts, with nine goals so far.
Other players who are hot on their tails are Andy Boyeli of Sekhukhune United and Sinoxolo Kwayiba of Chippa United. They are both on six goals and will be looking to make the race for the golden boot honours more interesting.
Orlando Pirates’ red-hot striker Tshegofatso Mabasa has been scoring goals like it is going out fashion lately, but he started his onslaught late and he is still on five goals. Mabasa is on the same number of goals with Sundowns’ hard-working Peter Shalulile and Stellies’ Devon Titus.
Top scorers in the Betway Premiership:
- Lucas Ribeiro 10
- Iqraam Rayners 9
- Andy Boyeli 6
- Sinoxolo Kwayiba 6
- Dzenan Zajmovic 6
- Tshegofatso Mabasa 5
- Peter Shalulile 5
- Devon Titus 5
