Teboho Mokoena brace seals Sundowns victory

An own goal from Siphosakhe Ntiya-Ntiya and two second-half strikes by Teboho Mokoena proved enough to seal the win.

Mamelodi Sundowns returned to the top of the Betway Premiership standings with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Marumo Gallants at Loftus Versfeld on Tuesday evening.

Sundowns back on top

The Brazilians reclaimed first place from Orlando Pirates after securing all three points, with an own goal from Siphosakhe Ntiya-Ntiya and two second-half strikes by Teboho Mokoena proving enough to seal the win.

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Pirates had earlier dropped crucial points in a 1-1 draw against Siwelele FC, opening the door for Sundowns to take control of the title race. The defending champions made no mistake, moving to 50 points, two ahead of their rivals with nine matches still to play.

Sundowns started brightly and were rewarded in the 31st minute when Keanu Cupido’s header took a deflection off Ntiya-Ntiya and ended up in the back of the net. The hosts nearly doubled their lead soon after, but Washington Arubi reacted brilliantly to tip Brayan León’s powerful effort over the bar.

Ndlondlo on the spot

Cupido continued to pose a threat in the air and was later presented with another opportunity from a corner, although his header was comfortably gathered by Arubi. Despite Sundowns’ dominance, Gallants found a way back into the match just before half-time. Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo calmly converted from the penalty spot after Nuno Santos was penalised for a handball inside the box.

Sundowns responded early in the second half with Mokoena replacing Miguel Reisinho and the change paid immediate dividends, with Mokoena making a telling impact.

The decisive moment came on the hour mark when Arthur Sales capitalised on a mistake by Msindisi Ndlovu, who lost possession while attempting to showboat in midfield. Sales drove forward with intent before passing the ball to Mokoena, who finished with composure to restore Sundowns’ lead.

From that point, the hosts focused on controlling the tempo, although Gallants remained dangerous on the counter-attack. Ndlondlo came close to equalising in the 67th minute but failed to hit the target after finding himself one-on-one with Ronwen Williams.

Mokoena magic

Mokoena closed the scoring in injury time from the edge of the box and the result also served as a measure of revenge for Sundowns, who were previously knocked out of the Carling Knockout by Gallants on penalties following a goalless draw.

Gallants, meanwhile, remain in 14th place on the table, level on 18 points with 15th-placed ORBIT College as their battle to avoid relegation continues. Having drawn 1-1 in the reverse fixture earlier this season, Sundowns ensured there would be no slip-up this time around.

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Their focus now shifts to continental competition, with a CAF Champions League quarter-final second leg against Stade Malien awaiting them in Bamako on Sunday.