Durban - A five-minute blitz saw Mamelodi Sundowns score twice in quick succession as they were made to sweat for a 2-0 victory over Swallows FC at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Tuesday evening.
Neo Maema broke the Swallows defence with a well-taken strike in the 63rd minute as he fired past Thakasani Mbanjwa after receiving the ball just inside the opposition's penalty area.
And a few moments later, Themba Zwane made it two, with a good finishing after combining beautifully with youngster Cassius Mailula on the edge of the box.
Sundowns' latest victory sees them grab their eighth league win in a row, extending their gap on the top of the DStv premiership to seven points once again.
The Brazilians went into the encounter knowing that city rivals SuperSport United had won earlier in the day and closed the gap to just four points at the top of the standings.
Neo Maema = Absolute quality ⭐
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) January 3, 2023
Mfana o ke star 👏
📺 Stream #DStvPrem live: https://t.co/Tg69y0EeUL pic.twitter.com/tA1UlMjonQ
For Swallows FC's new head coach Ernst Midddendorp, it was a case of setting up not to be beaten and perhaps sneaking a point away at the defending champions, in a bid to avoid more problems at the bottom end of the table.
Meanwhile, Sundowns Head Coach Rulani Mokwena cut a frustrated figure for the majority of the match as they struggled to breakdown a disciplined and resilient Dube Birds side.
The visitors were made to rue their missed chances as they lost their composure in front of goal after working up great opportunities through free-kicks and corners, Ronwen Williams denying them more than once.
In the day's other encounters, Sekhukhune United began their climb away from the relegation zone with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Marumo Gallants at the Peter Mokaba stadium. Royal AM and TS Galaxy could not be separated at the Chatsworth stadium, and played out to goalless draw.
@SmisoScribe