Cape Town - Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rhulani Mokwena hailed the impact of striker Peter Shalulile following his team’s 2-1 win over Chippa United on Tuesday.
Making his return following a lengthy absence, the Namibian found the back of the net in the 67th minute and his strike proved the winner in a close game.
“He’s an important player for us. He is loved by the group. We saw how everyone celebrated when he scored. He is still the reigning Player of the Season and top scorer,” said Mokwena.
Shalulile was last season’s top scorer in the league with 23 goals and his goal against the Chilli Boys was his seventh of the season. The striker is also now the joint top scorer in the league this season along with Kaizer Chiefs’ Bonfils Bimenyimana and SuperSport United veteran Bradley Grobler.
Given that Bimenyimana is injury prone and Grobler turning 35 this month, Shalulile, who is at the prime of his powers as a player, will be the favourite to win the Lesley Manyathela Golden Boot award for a second consecutive season.
Rhulani Mokwena was in a very 'congratulating' mood tonight and it's that last one to @leratophago_ that gets us 😂 pic.twitter.com/SBSqeHL9HK
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) January 10, 2023
Mokwena did emphasize that his side is not a one-man show and overly dependent on Shalulile.
“It is unfair to discredit the work we have done as a whole. We were without our top scorer from last season for a long time and still have a 13 point lead at the top of the table. We’ve had Rivaldo Coetzee, Shalulile and Bongani Zungu out for a long time. When you consider what we have not had the luxury of being able to utilize, it’s incredible what the group of players have been able to do,” said Mokwena.
Sundowns’ next game is a potentially tough one against second-placed SuperSport United at Loftus Versfeld on Monday. Having won their last six games on the trot, Mokwena’s side will be the favourites to beat Gavin Hunt’s men, who fell to a frustrating 2-1 loss against Golden Arrows in their last game.
A win for Sundowns against Matsatsantsa will see them further increase the gap between themselves and the rest of the pack as they continue to sail towards a record extending sixth consecutive league title.
@EshlinV