Three things we learnt from Sundowns’ 5-1 victory over Chiefs

Mamelodi Sundowns crushed 10-man Kaizer Chiefs 5-1 on Thursday to claim a record-extending seventh league title in a row style at the FNB Stadium. Tashreeq Matthews scored a brace while Matias Esquivel, Lucas Ribeiro  and Thembinkosi Lorch also got their names on the score sheet.

ALSO READ: Sundowns sweep aside ten-man Chiefs to seal another title

Here are three things we have learnt from the encounter:

Matthews is a star in the making for Sundowns

Matthews is a star in the making and Sundowns have found a gem in him. If his brace against Chiefs is a sign of things to come, then the Sundowns faithful have found themselves a genuine goalscorer. He has taken to the ‘Sundowns way’ like a duck to water since his arrival in the January transfer window. He has scored four goals in eight league matches for Masandawana.

Matthews will no doubt be in with a shout for a call-up when Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos announces his squad to play Nigeria and Zimbabwe in the world cup qualifiers next month. He has tough competition with Iqraam Rayners also in red-hot form for Stellenbosch but Matthews can play across the front three in attack.

Having come through the Borussia Dortmund academy in Germany, it’s easy to tell that he got his early football schooling at an elite club. He can play off the shoulder and through the middle to devastating effect.

Mkhulise is underrated

Sphelele Mkhulise is grossly underrated and hardly gets the credit he deserves. He goes about his business quietly and pulles the strings in the middle of the park. With Broos in attendance, the 28-year-old did his chances of getting a call-up for next month’s World Cup qualifiers the world of good.

Everything went through the diminutive midfielder, who hardly lost the ball while orchestrating most of the Brazilians’ attacks from his own half. Mkhulise is perhaps the unsung hero of this Sundowns team and hardly puts a foot wrong when given a chance to show what he can do.

In a season where experienced midfielder Bongani Zungu was expected to play a big role in their title defence, Mkhulise has been the one midfielder the coach turns to in order to play with more control over their opponents.

 Sundowns are kings of South African football

Sundowns have no equals in the DStv Premiership. They are now unbeaten after 24 games and are on course to become South Africa’s first invincibles by going the entire season unbeaten. This might just be the best Sundowns team in the history of the club in the PSL era.

They wrapped up the league title in spectacular fashion and did so in the backyard of one of their biggest rivals in the local game. The 5-1 win over Amakhosi showed the gulf in class between the two teams and very few would bet against Sundowns winning a record-extending eighth championship on the trot next season.

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This current generation is only left with six games to do what no other South  African football club has ever done by going for the whole season without a blemish on their record.