Durban — Peter Shalulile scored all three goals as Mamelodi Sundowns beat Marumo Gallants 3-1 to book their place in the quarter-finals at the Toyota Stadium on Thursday evening.
The Brazilians kept their hopes of defending their Nedbank Cup alive as Shalulile powered them past Bahlabane Ba Ntwa.
The prolific Namibian international leapt ahead of former teammate Hlompho Kekana as the leading goalscorer in the Nedbank Cup since 2008 as he opened the scoring inside the eighth minute.
Shalulile did well to dodge defenders in the box and found room in the box to take down Neo Maema’s cross and he fired home from close range.
And in the 26th minute, ‘Sha Sha’ was at the doubles as extended the visitor's lead with another finish from close range.
Themba Zwane was at the forefront of the move as he manoeuvred around the Gallant's box before unselfishly laying off the ball for a suspected offside Shalulile to bundle home.
Sundowns academy graduate Boitumelo Pheko produced a strong contender for the goal of the tournament as his long-range strike pulled the hosts back into the match.
The 23-year-old was lurking just outside the penalty area during a corner and after being set by Lucky Mohomi, he rifled past Sundowns keeper Dennis Onyango, who could not do anything but watch it nestle into the top corner.
Shalulile completed his hat trick halfway through the second as he combined with Maema again to restore Sundowns’ two-goal lead.
The 29-year-old showed off his box instincts and he arrived late in the far post to bundle home after a Washington Arubi error gave Sundowns a freekick close to the box.
A Sundowns side firing on all cylinders met Bahlabane Ba Ntwa for the third consecutive season in the Ke Yona cup, looking to continue their dominance over the fixture and make it three wins in a row.
The two sides produced an entertaining match as they attacked each other fearlessly, looking to pip each other on the scoreboard.
IOL Sport