Talismanic striker Peter Shalulile’s rich vein of goal scoring form was again on display on Sunday when he played a blinder to inspire new club Mamelodi Sundowns to a 4-3 win over AmaZulu in a gripping DStv Premiership clash at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium.
The 27-year-old Namibian front man was instrumental in providing three crucial assists to attacking midfielder Themba Zwane who scored a hat trick before Shalulile found himself in the thick of things when he caught the Amazulu backline napping in the 56th minute and punished them with a powerful header from a Lyle Lakay corner to help the defending champions secure a 4-3 win.
Lehlohonolo Majoro, Luvuyo Memela and Sandile Khumalo were all on target for Amazulu. The victory took Sundowns to the top of the log table, while the defeat saw Amazulu slip down to 11th spot.
Brave Warriors legend Mohammed “Slice” Ouseb yesterday expressed great fulfillment with Shalulile’s overall performance in Sunday’s clash, saying the striker is slowly but surely starting to find his feet and will soon replicate last season’s form which saw him finishing joint top goal scorer with 16 goals.
“I remember one particular year when me and Woody Jacobs took those boys to Ghana as part of our U/20 national team training camp, it was there when I got the opportunity to see and work with Peter [Shalulile] and there was no doubt that the boy was headed for the bigger stage.
He is hard working, humble and is an all-rounder. The young man is a workhorse and a player any coach can rely on. I really also have to say the way that Sundowns welcomed him also made it easier for Peter to settle down and the team’s style of play also fits very well with how Peter moves and positions himself.
Sundowns is the perfect fit for him and I can only encourage him to keep going, he’s only getting started,” said Ouseb, whose glittering career saw him winning the Rothmans Cup with Kaizer Chiefs in his first season and went on to be crowned Kick Off Footballer of the Season in the 1998/99 season.
The retired 46-year-old Ouseb, who also had stints with South Africa’s Moroka Swallows and Norway’s FC Lyn Oslo, advised Shalulile that he must not deviate from whatever game plan he is currently using as it is working perfectly for him and must continue scoring more goals in order to surpass last season’s exploits when he was with Highlands Park.
Shalulile has since the start of the current season played five matches for Sundowns in all competitions and has scored two goals from all outings.
–ohembapu@nepc.com.na