As captain of Mamelodi Sundowns last night, Peter Shalulile probably made the most notable contribution of the game when he denied himself the glory of a goal to feed young Siyabonga Mabena to score a first ever professional goal.
As Mabena ran towards the corner flag to celebrate his goal which sealed a 3-1 victory over Stellenbosch FC, some of the Sundowns players applauded Shalulile for his selfless leadership in a moment where many others could have decided to take a shot at goal. But Shalulile gave the 16-year-old an opportunity to net from close range and the youngster did not need a second invitation.
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After the game on a rainy night at Lucas Moripe Stadium, Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena gave insight into how the decision was made to make Shalulile the captain, in the absence of Themba Zwane and Teboho Mokoena.
"We could have given it to anybody, to be honest. We've got so many leaders on the pitch. We could have given it to Mosa (Lebusa), we could have given it to Riva (Coetzee), we could have given it to Grant (Kekana), we could have given it to (Bongani) Zungu, we could have given it to Thapelo Morena. But after some deliberations with the leadership that we have, the feeling was that Peter should get it.
"And then you see the selflessness, which is a number one trait of a leader. It's to be selfless, because everything else comes from selflessness, like respect for others, humility... All these other traits that top leaders have come from selflessness. So, you can talk about it, but the biggest thing is when it's demonstrated. You can see that he could have easily taken the shot, but he passes it to the young Mabena. I think it was the right decision (to make him captain for the game). He does it for his country too, so we are happy. We have a lot of confidence in him and his teammates have a lot of confidence in him. They trust each other and there is a good sense of brotherhood."
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Shalulile may not have found the back of the net, but his decision to unselfishly play the ball to Mabena showed just how much of a valuable player he is at Sundowns.
By beating Stellenbosch, Sundowns extended their winning run this season in the Premiership to eight matches.
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