At Lucas Moripe Stadium
Iqraam Rayners netted a brace to send Mamelodi Sundowns into the MTN8 semifinal following a commanding 4-0 victory over Richards Bay here on Sunday.
Rayners, who was overlooked for the PSL awards, was outstanding, scoring on either side of the half to help Masandawana to victory and join Orlando Pirates, Stellenbosch and Sekhukhune United in the last four.
Sundowns had to make do without their key players Lucas Ribeiro Costa, Khuliso Mudau and Peter Shalulile. Shalulile is believed to be on the verge of joining Tunisian giants Esperance, while it is also understood that there is interest in both Ribeiro Costa and Mudau from unnamed teams abroad.
But that didn't affect the Brazilians, who put on a dominating performance against an out-of-sorts Bay side.
Sundowns, who were recently involved in the Fifa Club World Cup in the US, where they impressed, dominated the match as expected. Their pressure paid off when Rayners opened the scoring earlier on with a header after he was left unmarked in the penalty area.
A corner from Marcelo Allende evaded everyone and found Rayners, who nodded home at the far post to give his side a deserved lead.
The Natal Rich Boys could not get out of their half as they opted to sit back and allow Sundowns to have all the possession.
Despite their dominance, the home side struggled to carve out clear-cut chances as the match progressed. However, they did increase their lead in the stroke of half-time after an own goal by Simphiwe Mcineka, who turned a Teboho Mokoena's low cross into his own net.
Sundowns were not done yet as they continued where they left off, and Rayners would complete his brace almost immediately after the restart when he was sent through on goal by Arthur Sales and slotted in the near post.
There was still time for more as substitute Siyabonga Mabena scored the fourth goal after his shot outside the box deflected into the goal. The Natal Rich Boyz continued to struggle and hardly tested Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, who was reduced to a spectator.
This win by Sundowns may have sent a statement that they are hungry to win this title, as they last won this competition in 2021.
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