Sundowns extend their lead, Pirates shoot down the Rockets

by Graeme Jackson

Saturday Dec 11, 2021. 22:21

A busy Saturday in South Africa’s DStv Premiership saw Mamelodi Sundowns extend their already-dominant lead with a win in the Tshwane derby, while Orlando Pirates became their nearest chasers with a home win over TS Galaxy.

The key result of the day came from the night game at Lucas Moripe Stadium, where Sundowns claimed a hard-fought 1-0 victory over SuperSport United, opening a 14-point lead at the top of the standings.

The result, secured by an early goal from Peter Shalulile, saw the Brazilians move to 37 points from a possible 45 this season and they remain unbeaten after 15 rounds – the halfway point of their league campaign.

Matsatsantsa, who have been hit hard by injuries and Covid absences, suffered a fifth loss of the campaign and dropped to fifth place – 15 points off the pace set by their capital city rivals.

The early evening match brought a 2-0 win for Orlando Pirates at home to TS Galaxy. Bandile Shandu and Collins Makgaka scored for the Buccaneers, who rose into second place on the log (replacing Sekhukhune United on goal difference), while the Rockets are now just one point above the relegation playoff zone.

The afternoon matches saw Baroka extend their winless run to 10 matches when they were held 0-0 at home by Cape Town City; AmaZulu recorded an 11th draw from 16 league matches when they were pegged back and held 1-1 by hosts Chippa United (Bienvenu Eva Nga cancelled out Lehlohonolo Majoro’s opener); and Marumo Gallants claimed a fourth victory from their last five matches when they defeated Swallows FC 1-0 in Soweto thanks to Sede Junior Dion’s late winner.

The DStv Premiership will continue with three scheduled matches on Sunday 12 December: Royal AM v Golden Arrows, Maritzburg United v Stellenbosch FC and Kaizer Chiefs v Golden Arrows.

DStv Premiership results, Saturday 11 December

Chippa United 1-1 AmaZulu

Baroka FC 0-0 Cape Town City

Swallows FC 0-1 Marumo Gallants

Orlando Pirates 2-0 TS Galaxy

SuperSport United 0-1 Mamelodi Sundowns