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Sundowns pick up first win of the season

Cape Town - Lebohang Maboe scored on his first start for Mamelodi Sundowns as they recorded a 2-0 win over Polokwane City at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Tuesday.

Kick-off was delayed by almost 15 minutes due to issues with the floodlights, but once play got underway Sundowns bossed proceedings.

City created the first two chances inside the opening quarter of an hour, though. Rodney Ramagalela dragged a shot well wide of the left post from 25 yards out on 11 minutes after space opened up for him with a quick turn.

Ramagalela then slipped in Vusimuzi Mngomezulu with a neat flicked pass a minute later, but he fired a left-footed strike wide of the far post from 14 yards out.

However, an error in judgment from George Chigova opened the door for the Brazilians to break the deadlock on 17 minutes.

The Zimbabwean keeper turned Maboe's shot behind at his near post when he could have let the ball go out, and Ricardo Nascimento made him pay from the resulting corner with a glancing header into the left corner of the net.

Mbulelo Wagaba threatened to restore parity four minutes later when he connected with a corner at the back post, but his downward header missed to the right of the goal.

Brilliant link-up play between Maboe and Thapelo Morena on the right in the 26th minute saw the ball taken off the former's boot by a defender from the latter's cutback.

There was another lengthy delay at the end of the first half when Onyango took an elbow to the neck as he went up for a cross, and the Ugandan gloveman eventually left the pitch in an ambulance.

The hosts had a good opportunity to equalise in the 10 minutes of stoppage time that followed, but Wagaba flashed an effort wide of the far post from 14 yards out after being played into space on the right by Maluleke.

Masandawana doubled their advantage out of nothing on 53 minutes. Maboe somehow managed to plant a header past Chigova into the bottom-left corner of the net from all of 16 yards out after getting on the end of a long free-kick into the box from the left.

They went close again four minutes later when Morena released Maboe through on goal with a threaded pass, although he was unable to beat Chigova, who came racing out of his goal to make a vital block.

Mosimane had recently spoken of wanting to see his players manage games better when going ahead, and they did just that in the second half to give very little away.

However, Rise and Shine nearly pulled one back late on when they won a free-kick close to 30 yards out four minutes from time. Maluleke got the ball over the wall and it curled inches wide of the left post.

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