Mamelodi Sundowns moved a step closer to securing their eighth consecutive league title with a convincing 2-0 victory over struggling Cape Town City.
Goals from Tashreeq Matthews in the first half and Iqraam Rayners in the second half sealed the win for the defending champions at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday night.
With this result, Sundowns now have 61 points from 24 matches, maintaining a 12-point lead over second-placed Orlando Pirates, who still have two games in hand.
Cape Town City, fighting to avoid relegation, remain in 15th place. While they are safe from automatic relegation due to another team’s expulsion, they may face the playoffs to retain their top-flight status unless they improve in their final two games.
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The match began with both sides showing attacking intent. City created early chances, with Jaedin Rhodes beating defenders but failing to find a teammate with his cross, which was safely collected by Sundowns’ goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.
Sundowns responded with pressure of their own, notably through Teboho Mokoena, who forced a strong save from City’s keeper Darren Keet. The breakthrough came in the 34th minute when Matthews scored after being set up by Rayners.
The visitors dominated the second half, and their relentless attacks paid off when Rayners added the second goal in the 77th minute, assisted by Arthur Sales. It was Rayners’ twelfth goal of the season, placing him just one goal behind the club’s top scorer, Lucas Ribeiro.
City have now gathered only 23 points from 26 matches and are closely trailed by Richards Bay, Golden Arrows, and SuperSport United in the fight to avoid the relegation playoffs.