Mamelodi Sundowns defeated 10-man Kaizer Chiefs 5-1 at the FNB Stadium on Thursday night to win the DStv Premiership for the seventh time in a row. In the second half, goals from Tashreeq Matthews (two), Matias Esquivel, Lucas Ribeiro, and Thembinkosi Lorch gave the Brazilians all three points and made sure they would be impossible to catch at the top of the log. With six games remaining, the Tshwane squad clinched their 17th overall championship, and they will now aim to finish the Premiership season undefeated.
They have really won 48 games in a row in the league between the 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 seasons; their only defeat came at the hands of SuperSport United back in September 2022. The Amakhosi, who have now lost four of their previous five league games, are now in eighth place and are only separated from the top half of the division by goal differential.
In the first few minutes of play, Chiefs were the more aggressive of the two sides, forcing saves from Sundowns goalkeeper Dennis Onyango, albeit easy ones, from Reeve Frosler and Ashley Du Preez. But in minute 19, the Soweto team suffered a severe blow when defender Given Msimango knocked down Lucas Ribeiro during a counterattack. The referee ruled that a clear goal scoring opportunity had been denied, and Msimango was given a straight red card.
Thembinkosi Lorch fouled Thatayaone Ditlhoke, according to the hosts, which made it easier for Ribeiro to run into, but Abongile Tom persisted in sending Msimango for an early shower. For the remainder of the first half, Sundowns controlled the possession, but the Amakhosi still had a fantastic opportunity to take the lead in injury time before the break. Pule Mmodi set up Frosler for a shot on goal, but Mosa Lebusa bravely blocked the wingback’s attempt.
Following the break, the Brazilians increased their game and appropriately took the lead through Tashreeq Matthews, who finished easily at close range after receiving a magnificent pass from Ribeiro. Four minutes later, Matias Esquivel gave Sundowns a two goal lead. After a superb dribble to earn the penalty, he was lucky to see his effort ricochet off Zitha Kwinika, wrong-foot goalie Bruce Bvuma, and ripple into the net for a 2-0 score.
In the 80th minute, Ribeiro scored via the inside of the post to make it 3-0, but his effort was disallowed for offside. But two minutes later, Matthews finished off Marcelo Allende’s through pass with style to give the visitors a third goal. Mduduzi Shabalala, a replacement, gave the Amakhosi a goal back in the 85th minute with a confident penalty kick, but it was only a consolation for the Soweto giants.
In the final moments, Sundowns added two more goals to put a “cherry on top.” First, Ribeiro’s low drive from the “D” of the box beat Bvuma’s left hand to make it 4-1. Then, in injury time, he set up Lorch for a simple header to finish to make it 5-1. The Nedbank Cup semifinal matchup between Sundowns and Stellenbosch FC is scheduled for Sunday, May 5. Meanwhile, Chiefs’ next league game is scheduled for next Tuesday, May 7, at home against TS Galaxy.
