Mamelodi Sundowns have reclaimed their spot at the top of the Betway Premiership after beating Royal AM 2-1 at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Wednesday night.
The two goals, scored by Sphelele Mkhulise and Khuliso Mudau, helped Sundowns climb above Orlando Pirates on the log standings. The two sides are level on 12 points, with Sundowns above Pirates due to a better goal difference.
Sundowns went into the game needing nothing less than a win, as their chase at the top with the Buccaneers is getting interesting. Their opponents of the night, Royal AM, would have probably been satisfied with a draw, having drawn their first four opening games.
As expected, Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi made some rotations to his squad, which saw Teboho Mokoena being handed his first start since September.
The home side had a dream start to the game, as Mkhulise found the back of the net as early as the sixth minute when he pounced on defender Sbangani Zulu from a goal kick and stole the ball to put the Brazilians in the driving seat going into half time.
Royal AM came out better in the second half, as they tried to push for an equaliser, but their efforts only came late in the game, when Zulu scored from a well-worked corner kick in stoppage time after Mudau’s goal at the other end.
Motebang Sera almost stole a point for the KwaZulu-Natal outfit, but his last-minute header was fired straight at goalkeeper and Ballon d’Or nominee Ronwen Williams which saw Sundowns walk away with maximum points.
