Matshelane Mamabolo
It was cloudy. It was dark. But Polokwane City rose and shone to register a spectacular result that is sure to be celebrated by the entire Betway Premiership.
The Limpopo outfit, whose slogan is "Rise and Shine", rid Sundowns of the cloak of near invincibility that saw them enter the current campaign as overwhelming favourites to win an unprecedented eighth successive league championship. Despite murmurs suggesting that under coach Manqoba Mngqithi, the Brazilians were not as ruthless as they had been under Rulani Mokwena last season, their winning all four initial league matches made a mockery of that view.
Thus, they arrived at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium as overwhelming favourites to secure three points. The atmosphere was charged, and it seemed Sundowns believed the hype as well.
Mngqithi started the match with a completely different line-up from the one that defeated Royal AM 2-1 midweek, leading to speculation that he was resting key players for the forthcoming Carling Knockout quarter-final against Kaizer Chiefs, especially with a challenging midweek match against Cape Town City looming — the only team to have beaten them last season.
However, the discerning soccer fan would have remembered how closely City ran Sundowns in their previous meeting during the MTN8 quarter-final at the start of the season. With this memory in mind, what transpired on the field should not be perceived as a shock.
City believed they had what it took to overcome their illustrious opponents, and that conviction showed in their confident approach as they took the game to Sundowns. An early scare for the Brazilians came just seven minutes in with a fantastic save from Dennis Onyango, who displayed his prowess as the last line of defence.
When Sundowns eventually found their rhythm and forced the hosts onto the back foot, Polokwane City remained unfazed. Displaying remarkable composure, they maintained their defensive organisation and blocked nearly every attack from the champions.
As the match wore on and the score remained goalless, City grew increasingly confident. In the second half, they peppered Sundowns’ goal with a series of relentless attacks, even as a number of the Brazilians players succumbed to injuries and were stretchered off the pitch.
Though City only found the net in the 82nd minute through Bulelani Nikani, who toe-poked a free-kick delivered from the left side, they had almost scored earlier. A fantastic counter-attack orchestrated by Oswin Appolois, who combined beautifully with Bonginkosi Dlamini, set up Hlayisani Chauke with a golden chance, only for him to miss a header with the goal at his mercy.
This victory was celebrated with gusto by every one of City’s players and technical staff, alongside their fans, who found themselves seriously outnumbered by Sundowns supporters. However, one can bet the celebrations were perhaps even more jubilant among the Orlando Pirates faithful, whose team now leads the defending champions by three points after five matches.
While it may be too early in the season to make sweeping declarations, this result is certain to infuse the rest of the Premiership with newfound belief that Sundowns, the giants of South African football, are indeed there for the taking.
In the other league match played yesterday, Cape Town City drew 0-0 with Magesi in a disappointing result for Erik Tinkler’s team.