Shalulile in hat-trick mood as Sundowns demolish Arrows

Mamelodi Sundowns’ free-scoring striker Peter Shalulile edged closer to Collins Mbesuma’s 16-year-old record for most goals in a Premier Soccer League (PSL) season after scoring a hat-trick against Golden Arrows on Wednesday.

Sundowns defeated Arrows 6-0 at Loftus Stadium as the Tshwane giants marched closer to their fifth successive PSL title and their 12th overall.

Gaston Sirino, Pavol Safranko and Kermit Erasmus were also on the scoresheet for Sundowns.

Playing for Kaizer Chiefs, Zambian striker Mbesuma scored 25 goals in the league during the 2004/2005 season. That record has remained in place as strikers have barely been able to get 20 goals a season.

Retired Siyabonga Nomvethe is the only player who managed to score 20 when playing for Moroka Swallows in the 2011/2012 season.

Shalulile has already beaten Nomvethe’s record and placed himself as a top contender for the PSL Footballer of the Season as he is now on 21 goals, just four shy of Mbesuma’s record.

It was the 17th league victory of the season for Sundowns who went about the demolition playing entertaining football though not many fans were in attendance.

This is the second time Sundowns have scored at least five goals in consecutive matches after they drubbed Summerfield Dynamos of KwaZulu-Natal 5-0 in the Nedbank Cup quarterfinals on Saturday.

The Chloorkop-based side has been deadly in front of goal as it has now scored 22 goals in the past five matches in all competitions.

Sundowns’ intentions against Arrows on Tuesday were clear as they led 3-0 within 30 minutes. The home side dominated Arrows from the kickoff in every area on the pitch.

The first goal was scored on 19 minutes by Sirino before the Shalulile show began with the player scoring with his head, left foot and right foot.

Shalulile scored his first goal when he headed in from a Lyle Lakay cross amid some shambolic defending.

The 28-year-old Namibian completed his brace three minutes later and Sundowns put the game beyond doubt with more than 60 minutes to play.

Things were so bad for the Durban-based team that the players held their own meeting on the pitch at half time before heading to the changing rooms to be addressed by their coach Lehlohonolo Seema.

Seema’s team committed schoolboy errors in defence and they failed to trouble Sundowns goalkeeper Denis Onyango.

Shalulile completed his hat-trick and edged closer to 25 goals when he scored on 63 minutes before he was replaced by Erasmus after 78 minutes. This was also Shalulile’s second consecutive hat-trick.

Safranko scored the fifth goal off the bench coming in for Sirino while Erasmus also scored with five minutes left.

Sundowns are now on 57 points after 25 matches and need six points to wrap up the title.