A Mamelodi Sundowns tsunami washed Golden Arrows away in a 2-0 victory at Loftus Versfeld on Tuesday night, which took them back to the top of the Premiership.
This yellow tsunami might have been lightweight in its capacity to destroy opponents, when compared to previous Sundowns generations, but it still has enough punch to deal with any challenge it faces on and off the field.
The battered Abafana Bes’thende can attest to that.
Arrows left Durban, which was devastated by floods – only to be hit by a flood of goals before they even settled in the country’s capital.
Sundowns suffocated Arrows the moment referee Abongile Tom blew the whistle to start the match.
Five minutes later, Tom had pointed to the centreline twice, following Hlompho Kekana and Themba Zwane’s quick goals.
It was as if the Brazilians had heard that the Premier Soccer League are intending to appeal the decision by the PSL’s disciplinary committee regarding the illegal fielding of Wayne Arendse against Wits in October last year.
In a seven-page notice of appeal, the PSL are not only seeking to have Wits awarded three points and a 3-0 win in the match that ended 1-1, but the governing body also wants Arendse to be slapped with a two-match ban.
Should that happen, Sundowns would sit on 55 points instead of 56.
That won’t hurt their league ambitions as they’ll remain at the top, ahead of Orlando Pirates on 54, with their fate in their hands – beat Free State Stars on Saturday in Bethlehem, and Sundowns retain their title.
That’s why it was important for the Brazilians to win last night here, to jump to the summit of the Premiership standings with a two-point lead.
They also had to make up for their disappointment of being eliminated in the semi-final of the Caf Champions League by Wydad Casablanca at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday.
Pitso Mosimane had no choice but to go all-out in the league he said he was uninspired by due to the delay in punishing Sundowns in the Arendse saga.
The thought of a trophyless season did the trick in inspiring Mosimane, as ‘Jingles’ has brought a trophy to Chloorkop in every year he has managed Sundowns from start to finish.
This trend looks like it will continue with Sundowns in pole position to claim league title No 9 in the PSL era.
The tired and flat Sundowns that slumped to a 2-1 loss on aggregate to Wydad were replaced by an energetic and hungry team.
Denis Onyango threw himself around like a teenager while his teammates stifled Arrows.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sundowns?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Sundowns #DownsLive #DownsArrows #AbsaPrem pic.twitter.com/YkGQkwMDNZ
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana)
The Durban side’s pace counted for nothing against a more tactically organised team.
Beyond tactical organisation, this Sundowns team know how to win and manage championship matches.
The experience they have gained in the Champions League has come in handy in terms of them managing the final stretch of the league race.
Despite all the chaos on and off the field, Sundowns players have never removed their eyes on the target, even though they had some speed humps along the way.
Those humps weren’t strong enough to stop this tsunami that’s still gaining momentum, and isn’t at full strength just yet.