Ribeiro and Matthews star as Sundowns beat Magesi

Tashreeq Matthews came off the bench to score the winner as Mamelodi Sundowns came from a goal down to beat Magesi FC 2-1 in a Betway Premiership clash that was played at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium. 

Wonderboy Makhubu had opened the scoring in the first half for Magesi, but the Brazilians produced a strong performance in the second stanza to register maximum points. 

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Both teams had a player sent off injury time with Sundowns already leading in the match. An off-the-ball incident led to Samuel Darpoh and Divine Lunga being sent off with a minute left to play. 

Makhubu gave his side the lead 12 minutes into the game with a well-executed header following a cross from the left by Managa Mokone. Sundowns’ bid to grab an equaliser wasn’t helped by the fact that they lost Khuliso Mudau to injury three minutes after conceding the opening goal of the match. 

The wingback was replaced by Thapelo Morena who also didn’t finish the game due a knock as well. Morena made way for Mosa Lebusa six minutes into the second half. Sundowns had the lion’s share of ball possession but Magesi went into the break with the slender 1-0 lead. 

The Tshwane giants didn’t do enough to trouble Magesi’s defence in the opening half. Sundowns looked much better after the restart and had better control of the game. It was only a matter of time before they levelled matters against a Magesi side that was content to sit deep in their own half and protect their lead. 

Lucas Ribeiro equalised in the 64th minute with a wonderful acrobatic effort. Arthur Sales did well to set-up Ribeiro with a cushioned header inside the box and the midfielder hit the back of the net with a scissors kick. It was the Brazilian’s sixth goal of the campaign and his strike would be a catalyst for Masandawana to search for the winner. 

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Matthews’ deflected shot beat Elvis Chipezeze on his near post with four minutes left. Miguel Cardoso’s charges did enough to earn all three points in what was a tightly-contested match in Limpopo.