Maema, Mailula and Ralani power Sundowns to victory over Royal AM

Mamelodi Sundowns made it two victories in two in the DStv Premiership on Saturday under coach Rulani Mokwena courtesy of goals by Neo Maema, Cassius Mailula and Bradley Ralani.

The Tshwane outfit defeated Royal AM 3-0 at Chatsworth Stadium, thanks to goals by Neo Maema, Cassius Mailula and Surprise Ralani.

The first half belonged to the reigning league champions. Masandawana went into attack mode, from the first minutes. They had a total of seven shots, whilst Royal AM only had a single shot.

Their hard work and effort were rewarded at the end of the first half. Neo Maema broke the deadlock in the 45th minute.

The second half started slowly. Both teams were not creative enough in the final third. Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams had a quiet evening as Royal AM couldn’t penetrate the strong Masandawana defence.

In the 72nd minute coach, Mokwena introduced some fresh legs. He brought in the duo of Surprise Ralani and Lebohang Maboe in place of Marcelo Allende and Neo Maema, respectively.

In form Cassius Mailula made it two-nil in the 85th minute after goalkeeper Zakahle Ngcobo couldn’t deal with Teboho Mokoena’s shot. Two minutes later, substitute Surprise Ralani got his name on the scoresheet thanks to a beautiful assist by another substitute Gaston Sirino.

The victory saw Bafana Ba Style cement their place at the summit of the log, opening a six-point gap from second-placed Richards Bay.

They have accumulated 28 points from 12 outings. On the other hand, the defeat left Thwihli Thwahla eighth on the log with 16 points from 12 matches.

For showcasing another brilliant performance, Mailula was named the Man of the Match.

Meanwhile, Marumo Gallants beat Cape Town City 2-1 in another DStv Premiership clash. The win saw them move to eleventh place.