Snore fest
Late goals from Nuno Santos and Brayan Leon stole the win for Sundowns in injury time, but make no mistake, there was no Piano & Shoeshine about this performance. Sundowns laboured to the three points, offering little in the way of entertainment or goal threat until the death. They had shots at goal, but most were not threatening. Santos scored with a lovely finish from outside the box following excellent work from substitute Khuliso Mudau on the right, before Leon followed up with a header after Peter Shalulile’s initial shot was saved. Sundowns remain a long way off their best in a season of struggle, despite heading the Betway Premiership table, three points ahead of Orlando Pirates (albeit having played two games more). Will this ease the pressure on sporting director Flemming Berg and coach Miguel Cardoso?
Resting players
The Sundowns bench was mighty impressive as Cardoso rested numerous players ahead of their return CAF Champions League clash against Al Hilal in neutral Rwanda on Friday. Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams was not in the squad at all, while Mudau, Aubrey Modiba, Marcelo Allende and Santos were all among the subs. Allende’s absence was perhaps the most noticeable.
Return for Rayners
Iqraam Rayners was handed just his second start since early October, and his return will be welcome for national team coach Hugo Broos. He has nine goals in 15 starts for Sundowns this season, a record that deserves praise. Rayners offers something different to what Bafana have up front, with pace and a bustling running style. Broos will be hoping he gets a run of games, but with Lebo Mothiba, Shalulile, Arthur Sales and new man Leon among many forward options, only goals will keep him in the side.
Sniper Shalulile
He did not find the back of the net, but the moment Shalulile came onto the pitch, Sundowns looked more dangerous. He had one spectacular acrobatic effort that whistled just wide of the post, before his header was narrowly wide too. He then laid on the second goal for his side with a neat piece of control and an accurate shot. It was a reminder of his quality in a team that otherwise battled to break down the Sekhukhune backline.
Numbers don’t lie
Sundowns’ 32 points from 15 games would be impressive for any other club, but it is their worst tally at this stage of the campaign since the 2019/20 season. In the last four seasons, they had 42, 39, 37 and 37 points after 15 fixtures, so they are well off that pace. Maybe this result will spark something, but they were less than convincing.
