Mailula shines as Sundowns hand La Passe another pasting

Sundowns’ young striker Cassius Mailula added a spark to a comatose Caf Champions League tie on Friday, the 21 year-old netting his first two senior goals for Masandawana as they completed a 15-1 aggregate win over La Passe of the Seychelles.

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This was always going to be a mismatch between Tshwane’s giants and a team of part-timers, but La Passe at least got one goal to show for their efforts, Sundowns winning the second leg 8-1 at Loftus Stadium, to confirm their place in the final qualifying round for the group stages.

With this encounter all-but sewn up in the first leg, Sundowns understandably decided to shake up their starting line-up, with the likes of Bongani Zungu, Mailula, Lebo Maboe, and Reyaad Pieterse all given their first starts of the campaign.

And it took them under eight minutes to take the lead, as Gaston Sirino crossed, and Thapelo Morena had all the time in the world to control the ball on his chest and slot it past Dave Mussard in the La Passe goal.

Mussard had an excellent first half in general, saving well from Marcelo Allende, and twice from Mailula. Maboe also had a cross deflected onto the post, as Sundowns totally dominated, which made it all-the more surprising when the part-timers equalised in the 38^th minute with their first shot on goal.

It was a fine header from Florent Rajaoniasy that flew past Pieterse, but a minute later, Sundowns restored their lead.

Sphelele Mkhulise burst down the left flank and sent in a cross that Mailula brilliantly flicked past Mussard.

And the 21 year-old completed a brace on the stroke of half time, chesting in from close range.

The second half saw a swathe of substitutions from the home side, including a rare chance for Gift Motupa, who notched up his second and third ever goals for Sundowns.

Two more substitutes, Haashim Domingo and Neo Maema, added to the scoreline, while Mailula almost wrapped up his hat-trick, but his volley came off the bar and off Mussard, leaving it to go in the books as an own goal.

Cape Town City crashed out of the Champions League yesterday, meanwhile, as they lost 1-0 to Petro Atletico in Angola to go out 4-0 on aggregate.