Sundowns snatch 92-minute victory over Highlands Park

Highlands Park had looked set to earn a point from their league encounter with Mamelodi Sundowns at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Wednesday night, only for Mauricio Affonso to score a 92nd-minute winner in a 1-0 victory for the defending league champions.

Both sides missed good chances before Affonso – who now has three goals from three substitute appearances – found the net right at the death to enable his new club to move to within two points of league leaders Kaizer Chiefs, ahead of their clash with Amakhosi on Sunday.

In a tightly-contested match, the Lions of the North held their own in the opening half-hour as they did well to keep the dangerous Downs attack at bay.

And it was the visitors who had some early chances as Mothobi Mvala hit the woodwork in the fifth minute and then forced Sundowns keeper Kennedy Mweene to make a superb diving save.

However, the Brazilians were to up the ante in the final 10 minutes of the first half as they had a succession of efforts on goal.

A mistake in defence – a weak back-pass by Ryan Rae, should have led to the deadlock being broken by Thapelo Morena as he went clean in on goal, only for his shot to be kept out by the legs of Highlands keeper Thela Ngobeni.

Gaston Sirino also went close with a curling effort, before Hlompho Kekana squandered a great chance as he lifted his close-range shot over the bar, following a quickly-worked corner.

Sundowns seemed to take their momentum into the second half as Morena’s low drive from 30-yards out whistled past the post a minute after the restart.

However, Highlands Park showed that they were also capable of their own threat after Luckyboy Mokoena and Lindokuhle Mbatha both had shots blocked by defenders in quick succession.

But the introduction of Affonso off the bench coincided with Sundowns getting back on top.

And when in the 67th minute the Uruguayan directed a cushioned a header into the path of Morena, it seemed as if the hosts were about to take the lead – only for the latter to somehow miss the target from just five yards out.

The game remained on the knife-edge right up to added time. And then, after Ngobeni had done very well to keep out Themba Zwane, Sirino combined sublimely with Zwane to set up Affonso, who fired a thunderbolt into the back of the net from 10-yards out.

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