SuperSport United stun Sundowns to win Tshwane derby 2-1

A well-executed plan by SuperSport United helped them beat their fancied Tshwane rivals, five-time successive league winners Mamelodi Sundowns, 2-1 in a DStv Premiership match played at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Friday.

First-half goals by Thapelo Maseko and Bradley Grobler - the only players to score SuperSport’s five league goals in six matches this season - saw Gavin Hunt’s team take a 2-0 lead against the Brazilians who had more than 70% of possession and some of the better chances.  

Hunt’s plan to catch Sundowns on the break worked like a charm in both SuperSport’s goals.

The first one came in the 9th minute when Thalente Mbatha fed a free Iqraam Rayners on the right where Lyle Lakay, the Sundowns left back, was caught out of position.

Rayners, who was deservedly chosen as man-of-the-match, took his time and squared for the 19-year-old striker Maseko to tap in his second goal of the season for SuperSport.

Between SuperSport’s first and second goal Sundowns had plenty of the ball and chances to find an equaliser but George Chigova in SuperSport’s goals denied Nasir Ahmed and Peter Shalulile before Grobler doubled the lead for the home side on the stroke of halftime.

It was Rayners again who provided the assist, this time coming from the left flank to deliver a good cross for Grobler to head in his third goal of the season.

Rayners bumped Thapelo Morena off the ball before finding Grobler with an incisive cross to stun the Sundowns fans going into the break.

Hunt’s plan was never to try to match Sundowns in ball possession but what his team did well was to take their chances after those two quick counterattacks that caught the Sundowns defence napping.

The second period continued with Sundowns dominating play but SuperSport, who had last beaten their neighbours in 2013 in the league, did well not to just sit back and defend their lead.

Ahmed got Sundowns a consolation in the last minute of the match, rising high to head in Shalulile’s cross to score his second league goal of the season.

It’s early days but Sundowns losing two league games in six matches may signal it’s not going to be easy for the Brazilians to win a sixth successive league title.

In this match Sundowns were wasteful in front of goal while at times simply couldn’t find a way to break the SuperSport defence of Thulani Hlatshwayo, Thatayaone Ditlhokwe, Kegan Johannes and Onismor Bhasera.

The win was a sweet and swift response by SuperSport, who moved to sixth spot on the log with eight points, after they were beaten 2-0 by Sundowns in the MTN8 quarterfinal at the weekend.