Sundowns vs Polokwane: A Tale of Two Halves

Two completely different halves of football led to a 2-0 win for Mamelodi Sundowns over Polokwane City on Saturday night, with two goals in three second-half minutes making the difference.
Sundowns were completely dominant in the opening 45 minutes, but they could not find a way to break down a stubborn Polokwane defence. The visitors had the better chances in the second half, but it was Sundowns who eventually took the lead when Kutlwano Letlhaku fired home from close range in the 69th minute.
Letlhaku then doubled Sundowns' lead just three minutes later, and the home side held on to claim all three points. The win moves Sundowns back to within three points of leaders Orlando Pirates, while Polokwane remain in 10th place.
Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena praised his team's performance in the second half, but he admitted that they were lucky to escape with a win.
"We were very good in the second half," said Mokwena. "We created a lot of chances and we deserved to win. But we were also lucky to win because Polokwane had some good chances in the first half."
Polokwane coach Johnny Ferreira was disappointed with his team's performance, but he said that they can take some positives from the defeat.
"We were not good enough in the second half," said Ferreira. "We gave Sundowns too much space and we paid the price. But we can take some positives from the game. We showed that we can compete with the best teams in the league."
The match was played in front of a sell-out crowd at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, and the atmosphere was electric. The fans were treated to a thrilling match, and they will be hoping for more of the same when Sundowns host Kaizer Chiefs in their next match.