The last few months of the season are proving to be special for Mamelodi Sundowns striker Peter Shalulile, who is attacking records at a rapid pace.
Shalulile scored the winner as Sundowns claimed a narrow 1-0 victory over Esperance in the CAF Champions League quarter-final first leg, taking his tally of goals in CAF competitions to 19. He has netted 18 times in the Champions League and once in the African Football League, a competition Sundowns won in 2023 under former coach Rulani Mokwena. No other PSL player has scored more goals than Shalulile in CAF competitions.
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Things, however, have not always been easy for the Namibian striker. He struggled for consistent scoring form for some time and often had to deal with the fact that he was no longer a regular in the starting line-up, with Iqraam Rayners ahead of him at some point. But he has forced his way back into the starting line-up and he is playing a key role as Sundowns chase glory domestically and on the continent.
"It was not an easy game, but I always want to be one of those strikers that get one chance and buries them. Going to Tunisia won't be easy. They are a very good team, but as a Sundowns player, with my teammates who are ambitious, we are going to work hard," Shalulile told the media after the game.
"For me, it's all about making sure that the team comes first and to score goals. We will get there when it's time to see how far I am with records and all of that."
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Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has recently spoken about the team's tight schedule and has at times questioned the number of matches they are playing, but Shalulile did not seem too worried when he was asked about what the players are feeling regarding the amount of games they have to play in a short period of time.
"You need to manage yourself off the pitch, not only when you are training, but in terms of what you eat and what time you sleep and the recovery you do at home. The guys asked me how I recover, and I told them the only thing I do is buy more ice and do my recovery and call a masseuse. Obviously, I have people who cook for me, so that's what you do to recover and check all the schedules that are happening. You need to be a professional player," the Namibian international said.
