Aubrey Modiba and Marcelo Allende of Mamelodi Sundowns celebrate their 1-0 Betway Premiership win against AmaZulu at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Tuesday night.
Image: BackpagePix
MAMELODI Sundowns celebrated their 1-0 Betway Premiership win against AmaZulu FC at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Tuesday night as if they had won the league itself.
Macerlo Allende's 84th minute strike was enough to send the Brazilians at the top of the table, although level with Ezimnyama on 38 points.
Chiefs meanwhile, welcomed Stellenbosch in a grudge match at FNB Stadium.
Chiefs had an additional incentive riding on the match: a win against Gavin Hunt’s Stellies would kill two birds with one stone. It would provide revenge for their Nedbank Cup knockout in Cape Town a fortnight ago and offer a much-needed morale boost ahead of the highly anticipated first Soweto derby of the 2025/2026 season.
Orlando Pirates players were sitting in their living rooms watching split-screen broadcasts on Tuesday night as the Betway Premiership title race lit up when contenders and rivals Kaizer Chiefs and Sundowns took to the field.
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso was left blaming fatigue for his players' struggles to find the net after AmaZulu kept them at bay for the most part of the game.
"We had so many opportunities to finish this game early with 29 shots and only seven on target. There is still fatigue on the players and that was clear, they will need a bit more rest," said Cardoso.
"They are doing an amazing job and we are going to face the next match with the same strictness, with the same commitment, the same quality and with the same desire and passion."
As it did, a win in Durban for Sundowns was always going to go a long way towards alleviating the pressure on their shoulders ahead of a congested schedule next month, with the quarter-finals of the CAF Champions League looming.
And for sure Cardoso and his Sundowns side went to Durban with their tails up because of their record against Usuthu.
However, Arthur Zwane's AmaZulu were not going to make it that easy as they held their own keeping scores level at 0-0 beyond the hour mark.
AmaZulu failed yet again to score against Sundowns. The Tshwane side recorded another win against Usuthu and returning to the summit of the table as Pirates went for the remote opting to rather take solace in Chiefs' wounds as they lost 2-0 ahead of the Saturday showdown.