
Mamelodi Sundowns held onto their lead at the top of the Betway Premiership with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Magesi FC at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Wednesday night.
Wonderboy Makhubu put Magesi ahead early, and they maintained this advantage into halftime.
However, Sundowns came back stronger in the second half. Lucas Ribeiro Costa delivered a stunning volley after a setup by Arthur Sales to score the equalizer.
Peter Shalulile seemed to have given Sundowns a second goal with a header, but it was wrongly disallowed for offside.
Despite this disappointment, Sundowns clinched the win. A cross attempt from Tashreeq Matthews deflected off a Magesi defender, catching goalkeeper Elvisi Chipezeze off guard and finding the net just four minutes before the final whistle.
The match ended in a dramatic fashion, with both sides reduced to ten players after Samuel Darpoh and Divine Lunga were sent off in the dying moments due to a confrontation.
This win was a meaningful redemption for Sundowns, who had previously suffered a disappointing defeat to Magesi in the Carling Knockout final last November. That loss led to the departure of Magesi coach Clinton Larsen, who has since been replaced by Owen da Gama, still in search of his first victory after taking over.
Sundowns have now increased their lead at the top of the Betway Premiership to 33 points after 12 matches, positioning themselves six points ahead of second-placed Orlando Pirates, who still have a game in hand.
The Pirates’ next match against Royal AM was postponed on Thursday due to the financial troubles faced by the KwaZulu-Natal club.
Magesi remains at the bottom of the league table, accumulating only seven points from 13 matches. Despite the loss, they showed impressive resilience against Sundowns and are likely to draw inspiration from their performance in future matches.