Mamelodi Sundowns secured victory over AmaZulu thanks to a late winner from Marcelo Allende in their Betway Premiership clash at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Tuesday night.
Masandawana are now atop the league standings, level on 38 points with Orlando Pirates. Both sides have a +19 goal difference, but Sundowns have scored one more goal than the Sea Robbers.
Only Tsiki Ntsabeleng remained from the last match’s starting line-up as Miguel Cardoso made ten changes. Meanwhile, Usuthu made just one change, starting Luyolo Slatsha in place of Langelihle Mhlongo.
Masandawana showed clear attacking intent in the first five minutes, but they struggled to break down the home side’s defence and create clear-cut opportunities. Usuthu, on the other hand, found it difficult to make meaningful forward movements.
In the 18th minute, Darren Johnson made a big save, parrying over a well-taken header from Khulumani Ndamane, who connected with a cross. The Brazilians continued to exert pressure on the hosts but, at times, lacked sharpness in the final third.
At the half-hour mark, Thapelo Morena picked up a knock and was forced off, with Nuno Santos coming on as his replacement. Late in the first half, Ronwen Williams denied Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya in a one-on-one situation after he had latched onto a cross from Riaan Hanamub.
Sundowns returned from the interval and picked up right where they had left off, enjoying the lion’s share of possession. They began making more entries into the box and created a few chances, but still couldn’t find the breakthrough.
In the 64th minute, Brayan León had an opportunity to break the deadlock when he received a through pass from Tashreeq Matthews, but the Colombian striker’s shot went inches wide of the posts. Usuthu dug in defensively, keeping things tight at the back as they looked intent on salvaging at least a point in front of their home crowd.
In the 84th minute, Marcelo Allende finally rattled the back of the net to put his side in front. AmaZulu couldn’t fight back to equalise, with the visitors grabbing maximum points on the road. Usuthu remain fifth on the log with 30 points after 18 matches.
