Tough Cape Town City worthily stop Sundowns’ 100% record in its tracks

Mamelodi Sundowns’ 100% record in the 2022-23 DStv Premiership has finally been stopped, and given the intensity of their performance mostly matching the Brazilians blow for blow, Cape Town City were worthy practitioners of the deed.

Fourth-placed City — who went to third from the point gained from Sunday’s 0-0 draw in an often end-to-end, competitive league encounter at Cape Town Stadium that just lacked goals — always seemed the team that might end Downs’ run of wins from the start of the season in their 12th fixture.

Eric Tinkler’s excellently-drilled, dangerous City at times made Downs — after their 11-match run of victories where they mostly brushed sides off in third gear, but who also will be starting to feel the effects of a punishing schedule — look fallible.

Rulani Mokwena’s Sundowns — playing, staggeringly, their 29th match before the break for the Africa Cup of Nations, and with two to go still against Moroka Swallows at home on Wednesday and Polokwane City away on Saturday — pushed hard and missed their chances. But City had theirs too.

At the other end Darwin González’s free-kick from the left found Lorenzo Gordinho free, whose header was well directed down at the goal line near the right corner, Ronwen Williams making a quality reflex, diving stop.

City were on attack from the restart, as Thabo Nodada passed González through on the right, City’s Venezuelan forward’s first touch a little clumsy to allow Thapelo Morena time to recover.

Downs muscled back into ascendancy. Substitute Maphosa Modiba made ground down the left and chipped to find Peter Shalulile who made space for himself and sliced a shot wide of the left post.

Modiba’s corner from the right found centreback Rushine de Reuck to get up above the defence and head just over the bar.

The Brazilians had more half-chances as they piled on the pressure to try to maintain their 100% record. City admirably fended them off with sheer grit, organisation and toughness in the challenge.

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