After another exciting weekend of Betway Premiership action which saw Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns suffering defeats in Polokwane, Soccer Laduma looks at five key talking points from all the action.
Soweto giants Orlando Pirates finished the weekend as log leaders, thanks to a 2-1 victory over AmaZulu on Friday evening, as second-placed Sundowns dropped points for the first time this season in a 1-0 loss to Polokwane City on Sunday.
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Another youngster for Pirates to be excited about
Relebohile Mofokeng has hogged the headlines for some time now, but Mohau Nkota got his second start on Friday evening and gave supporters reason to believe he is the next big star everyone will be talking about. His first goal for the club, against AmaZulu, was an absolute cracker, unleashing a powerful left-footed shot that gave Richard Ofori no chance in the Usuthu goal, before completing his brace with a cool finish in the first half. The 19-year-old could have bagged himself a hat-trick had he not squandered some of the other opportunities he got. Pirates could have another youngster that set the league alight.
Sundowns struggle without Costa?
Mamelodi Sundowns were without Brazilian attacker Lucas Ribeiro Costa for the first time this season in a domestic match, due to suspension, and it was evident how much they missed him. The defending Premiership champions suffered their first defeat of the season against Polokwane City and had the concerning statistic of finishing the match without a shot on target. Costa has been a driving force in attack for Sundowns and his creativity and eye for goal were missed against Rise and Shine, who were hardly threatened by the Tshwane giants at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Sunday. Costa has arguably been their best player this season and his absence saw Iqraam Rayners and Tashreeq Matthews not being able to make any sort of impact.
Chippa City playing with the big boys
Both Chippa United and Polokwane City are enjoying good starts to the season as local coaches Kwanele Kopo and Phuti Mohafe show they are capable of competing with the top dogs of South African football. Both sides are on 10 points, as Chippa brushed Golden Arrows aside with a 2-0 win and City claimed the honour of being the first club to beat Sundowns this season, in a 1-0 victory on home soil. The two clubs are collecting as many points as possible early in the season and this puts them in a good position to finish in the top eight. The last time Chippa finished in the top eight was in 2015/16.
Chiefs still a work in progress
There has been a lot of excitement at Chiefs this season, but the defeat to SuperSport over the weekend was a reminder that there is still some work to be done to launch a tangible challenge for the Premiership title. Amakhosi were given a wake up call by SuperSport, going down 1-0 to Matsatsantsa exactly a week after knocking the Tshwane outfit out of the Carling Knockout.
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Goss' place under threat at SuperSport?
Thakasani Mbanjwa got an opportunity to start in goal for SuperSport United against Chiefs in the absence of Ricardo Goss and made the most of the opportunity. In fact, he has now raised his hand for more starts at the club. Mbanjwa has been around for some time now, but did not establish himself as a regular starter during the times he was in the top flight. But his performance against Chiefs, especially after pulling off a save to deny Mfundo Vilakazi late on, could convince Hunt to give him more opportunities ahead of Bafana Bafana shot stopper Goss.
By Tshepang Mailwane
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