Shalulile scores first hat-trick of the season as Sundowns down Swallows

Peter Shalulile scored the first hat-trick of 2021-22 to close in on becoming the first striker in a decade to reach the 20-goal mark in the DStv Premiership, as Mamelodi Sundowns cruised past relegation-threatened Swallows 4-2 on Wednesday night.

The last striker to reach that milestone was Siyabonga Nomvethe who scored 20 league goals for Moroka Swallows in the 2011-12 season.

Shalulile came within touching distance as the Namibian ace struck three times at Dobsonville Stadium, taking his Premiership tally to 18 goals with six matches remaining.

Dillan Solomons had reduced the deficit after Shalulile’s double but Surprise Ralani restored the champions’ two-goal cushion on the stroke of half-an-hour as Downs wrapped up the match in the first half to open an 11-point gap from second placed Royal AM. Kaizer Chiefs are in third, trailing by 15 points, though Amakhosi have played two matches fewer.

Shalulile struck signature goals first with a header, then his left and right foot, running from behind the defence to get at the end of two long balls for two of the goals.

Ruzaigh Gamildien scored the consolation for Swallows to make it 4-2 with the only goal of a second half where chances where few and far in between.

Sundowns can wrap up an unprecedented fifth successive Premiership title if they beat Golden Arrows on April 12 and Cape Town City on April 27, if Royal and Chiefs falter in their next two matches.

Swallows suffered their heaviest defeat, and 11th loss, of the season, and remain in danger in second from bottom with 18 points from 23 matches, a point behind bottom club Baroka though the Birds have played a match fewer than Bakgaga.

Dylan Kerr’s side will get another opportunity to move out of relegation danger when they travel to Harry Gwala Stadium to face Maritzburg United in their next match on April 12.

Shalulile’s 18 goals with six matches remaining is remarkable given that the closest any striker has come to Nomvethe’s mark of 10 years ago is 16.

The Namibian is now seven goals from matching Zambian Collins Mbesuma’s 25 goals in the 2004-05 season.

Shalulile — who showed that his 15 goals last season to end as the second-best scorer, one goal behind Grobler was not fluke — was the obvious player of the match.

“First of all I would like to give glory to God, my teammates and the technical team,” said the striker after the match.

“We came prepared and knew it was not going to be easy and we got three points.

“They are a good team and we saw how they came back in the second half but we stuck to our game plans and ended victorious.”