Peter Shalulile scored a brace as Mamelodi Sundowns bounced back from a disappointing loss to Polokwane City FC with a 3-0 win over Cape Town City FC in the Betway Premiership at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Wednesday night.
Below are the talking points from this encounter.
RONWEN WILLIAMS RETURNS TO THE SUNDOWNS STARTING LINE-UP
Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams returned to the starting line-up for Masandawana after missing the Polokwane City FC league game over the weekend as he had to jet off to France to attend the Ballon d’Or awards ceremony.
The Bafana Bafana captain, Williams, was nominated for the Ballon d’Or Yashin Award as one of the top 10 best goalkeepers in the world.
The Ballon d’Or awards ceremony were held on Monday, 28 October, at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.
However, Argentinian shot-stopper Emiliano Martinez won the Yachine Trophy, with Williams named ninth in the final rankings for Best Goalkeeper at the 2024 Ballon d’Or.
MAMELODI SUNDOWNS PLAYERS RULED OUT OF TONIGHT’S MATCH
Five key players from the Chloorkop-based outfit were ruled out of tonight’s game against the Cape club due to injuries.
The five players are Siyabonga Mabena, Tashreeq Matthews, Keagan Johannes, Themba Zwane, and Lesiba Nku.
PETER SHALULILE AND LUCAS RIBEIRO ON THE SCORESHEET FOR MAMELODI SUNDOWNS
Namabian international Peter Shalulile found the back of the net in the 16th minute of the showdown to put Masandawana in front.
Eight minutes before the interval, Lucas Ribeiro scored the second goal for the Manqoba Mngqithi-coached side.
Shalulile added to the scoreline as he completed his brace in the 52nd minute of the contest. The three goals from Shalulile and Ribeiro were enough to earn the Brazilians maximum points at home.
APROCIUS PETRUS SENT OFF
In the 80th minute, Cape Town City’s Aprocius Petrus was sent off after receiving two yellow cards on the night.
MAMELODI SUNDOWNS AND CAPE TOWN CITY’S POSITION ON THE LOG STANDINGS
As things stand, Bafana Ba Style are placed second on the Betway Premiership table with 15 points. They are now three points behind log leaders, Orlando Pirates.
Meanwhile, Erick Tinkler’s side is in position 13 with five points from five outings.
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