Publications
Partners
Johannesburg - Mamelodi Sundowns showed their mettle with a clear-cut 3-1 win over Bloemfontein Celtic in Polokwane on Saturday, but it was a bitter-sweet success for the big-spending Brazilians in their final Absa Premiership game of the season.
Billionaire Patrice Motsepe's club finished fourth in the standings, despite assembling what was the most accomplished squad on paper, and maintained an unenviable reputaion in recent years of failing to live up to expectations.
The deflating lesson for Downs, as Orlando Pirates snatched the PSL championship after a photo-finish, was no doubt that games are won on the field of play and not on paper.
Nonetheless, the clash against Celtic was a personal success for striker Nyasha Mushekwi -- one of the few unreserved successes of the season for his side -- as the potent Zimbabwean recorded an impressive hat-trick.
Mushekwi gave the Brazilians the lead with a powerful left-footed shot into the corner of the net after 18 minutes, and extended the gap shortly after half-time with a well-directed penalty.
A penalty strike from Cecil Oerson after a handball offence gave Celtic a glimmer of hope in the 61st minute.
But Mushekwi secured the win when he completed his hat-trick in the 80th minute and conjured up thoughts of what might have been for the team who finished two points off the pace of newly-crowned Pirates.
