Brazilian Ribeiro scores as Sundowns reclaim top spot, set record / Photo: PHILL MAGAKOE - AFP
-
Spanish wildfires intrude on holidaying foreign visitors
-
Urgent search for suspect after deadly 'Islamist terror' attack near Berlin Pride
-
France and Spain battle 'unpredictable' wildfires as 300,000 evacuated
-
Spain football coach De la Fuente visits Madrid wildfire evacuees
-
Taiwan's Chou Tien-chen snatches China Open title at age 36
-
Malaysia steps in to host Bahrain F1 GP in October
-
Ramsay-Peaty bounces back at Commonwealth Games after tearful outburst
-
Threatened by fire, Bordeaux is 'ready for anything': mayor
-
Iran says halts Middle East attacks as US holds fire
-
India clears protest site after 'cockroach' movement scores a win
-
Wildfires overwhelm exhausted firefighters in France and Spain
-
France fire situation 'remains very unfavourable': interior minister
-
Urgent search for suspect after deadly attack near Berlin Pride
-
WorldPride gets a royal welcome amid warnings for LGBTQ community
-
D-Day beaches inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List
-
South Africa's migrant exodus leaves employers short-handed
-
As Zimbabwe's raw lithium ban pays off, ambitions grow
-
US holds fire against Iran as reports emerge of stockpile concerns
-
German manhunt after deadly car ramming near Berlin Gay Pride
-
Marvel announces 'Black Panther III' at Comic-Con
-
Vienna's venerable vineyard taverns forced to move with the times
-
Will heatwaves push European holidaymakers to 'coolcations'?
-
Thousands crowd shelters as wildfires force exodus in France, Spain
-
Messi-less Miami win on Casemiro debut, Berterame suffers head blow
-
Burnham offers sweeteners, hopeful vibes in first week as UK PM
-
German police hunt suspect after deadly car ramming near Berlin Gay Pride
-
'The Odyssey': Christopher Nolan's latest cultural phenomenon
-
US Federal Reserve expected to hold rates steady as inflation swirls
-
'Star Trek' celebrates 60th anniversary at Comic-Con
-
Merz vows justice after deadly car ramming near Berlin Gay Pride event
-
Transport BPO Launches First-Week-Free Dispatch and Call Answering Service for Transportation Businesses
-
Solar Quote Checker Publishes 2026 Guide to Fair Solar Panel Pricing
-
Merz vows justice after deadly car attack near Berlin Gay Pride event
-
Joshua survives knockdowns, stops Prenga
-
Merz vows justice after deadly car attack near Berlin Pride event
-
Ohtani delays throwing session over knee 'regression'
-
Hiltz extends US 1,500 streak, Lyles advances in 200
-
One killed, 15 wounded as car hits crowd near Berlin Gay Pride
-
'Difficult night' as France, Spain fires intensify again
-
Hodge, Hope give West Indies edge in rain-impacted Pakistan Test
-
Beaten Ramsay-Peaty casts doubt on future as Australia rule Commonwealth pool
-
Scheffler surges at 3M Open with blistering back nine
-
Ramsay-Peaty beaten into bronze as Australia's Williamson wins Commonwealth gold
-
Brazil's right-wing party nominates Bolsonaro son to battle Lula
-
Kazakh leader tells Putin war should end, Ukraine launches fresh strikes
-
Norris back on pole at Hungarian GP as rivals handed penalties
-
Madeleine McCann's brother targets Olympic dream after Commonwealth final
-
Close to Madrid, those who escaped flames worry what is next
-
Hamilton, Antonelli stung by grid penalties at Hungarian GP
-
Messi can skip All-Star Game after grueling World Cup, says MLS
Brazilian Ribeiro scores as Sundowns reclaim top spot, set record
Brazilian Lucas Ribeiro scored after a superbly executed set-piece manoeuvre as Mamelodi Sundowns beat SuperSport United 2-0 on Wednesday to reclaim first place and set a South African Premiership record.
The mid-year signing from Belgian club SK Beveren timed his run past the SuperSport defensive wall perfectly to latch on to a chipped Neo Maema free-kick and slam the ball into the net.
Already in front against third-placed SuperSport thanks to a 31st-minute goal from Namibian Peter Shalulile, Ribeiro doubled the lead in the first minute of first half added time.
Ribeiro has made an immediate impact at the Pretoria club, scoring six goals in the Premiership and three in the CAF Champions League less than halfway through the season.
He shares the lead in the Premiership Golden Boot race with Tshegofatso Mabasa of Moroka Swallows and Khanyiso Mayo of Cape Town City.
Both teams wasted second-half chances in a Pretoria derby at nearby Atteridgeville that produced no further goals, and Sundowns moved two points above Cape Town City with four matches in hand.
Man-of-the-match Maema revealed that the set-piece move was the brainchild of coach Rulani Mokwena, a 36-year-old who never played professional football.
Mokwena quickly passed the credit to his players, however, as Sundowns made history by becoming the first Premiership club to win nine consecutive matches from the start of a season.
"It was my idea, but no plan works unless you have magnificent players like those at Sundowns to execute it," he said.
Mokwena is a hard taskmaster, saying he was not happy with the number of missed chances by a team chasing a record extending seventh straight league title and 14th overall.
"We could have scored six," he said of a side whose next fixture is a CAF Champions League group game against TP Mazembe in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday.
Sundowns are unbeaten in 33 Premiership matches, across two seasons, since losing to SuperSport in September 2022.
On Tuesday, Stellenbosch climbed three places to fourth after extending an unbeaten run in all competitions to seven matches by winning 3-0 at bottom club Cape Town Spurs.
P.Smith--AT
