Sundowns have taken seven points from their opening three fixtures this season and join champions Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs and AmaZulu at the summit.
Khoza on target
Sundowns took the lead on 21 minutes from an unlikely source. Bathusi Aubaas headed a deep cross back across goal and 22-year-old defender Malibongwe Khoza showed great technique to volley the ball into the net from 12 yards.
There were defenders on the line, but the power of the shot meant it went through them.
To be fair, it is the fourth goal of his short career, making him a handy contributor from the defensive ranks.
He netted against Richards Bay in the league last season, Sibanye Golden Stars in the Nedbank Cup the year before and against Mbabane Swallows in the CAF Champions League in 2024.
Mailula again
Cassius Mailula scored a third goal in 10 days following his return to Sundowns and it was a beauty.
A beautiful backheel from Brayan Leon sent the ball into the path of the forward and he curled it into the back of the net from just outside the box.
It is a continuation of his superb form in the PSL and he now has 11 league goals in 21 appearances (13 starts), or a goal every 104 minutes.
If you include Mailula’s 19 goals in all competitions, his stats are even better, as he finds the back of the net every 103 minutes. Away from Sundowns, he averages a goal every 308 minutes in his career.
Surely he must be in the frame for the Bafana Bafana squad next month.
Another Bafana blow?
The next Bafana coach, whoever that may be, appears to have a growing headache with several first-team regulars injured.
That list may have got longer as Sundowns right-back Khuliso Mudau limped out of the game in the first half.
Bafana begin their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign next month with a crunch home game against Guinea and will need all hands on deck.
The loss of Mudau would be a real blow, especially as no-one has really risen to seriously challenge him for the right-back berth in the national team.
New PSL record
Sundowns grabbed another PSL record when they stretched their unbeaten run at home in the league to 31 matches (W28 D3).
That is one more than Ted Dumitru’s Kaizer Chiefs managed 21 years ago, with Sundowns not having lost on their own patch since the final day of the 2023/24 season, when Cape Town City claimed a 1-0 success.
That defeat also denied Sundowns an ‘Invincibles’ season, as it was their only loss, home or away, in the campaign.
So, stretching back further, it is Sundowns’ only home league loss in more than four years and 60 matches (W51 D8).
That does include their home win over Royal AM the season before last that was annulled due to the latter’s demise as a going concern, but Sundowns won on the night fair and square.