Mamelodi Sundowns secured a 2-0 victory over Orlando Pirates to stretch their lead to seven points in the DStv Premiership, while Cape Town City edged out Royal AM 2-1 on Friday.

South Africa remembered deceased Brazilian superstar Pele by having a moment of silence to honour the football icon.

Pele died on Thursday in Sao Paulo at the age of 82. He had been sick with colon cancer and kidney problems for a long time. As the 2022-2023 season started, a moment of silence was held at five league games.

During the 90 minutes of the three live games, a picture of the Brazilian and the dates of his birth and death were shown on the screen.

Pele is thought to be the best football player of all time. He never played in South Africa, but he went there in 2005 to meet with Nelson Mandela.

The Brazilian called Mandela a “hero” because he was the first democratically elected president of South Africa after apartheid ended in 1994.

As the richest league in Africa got back to work after a break for the World Cup in Qatar and Christmas, fifth-placed Pirates were beaten by Sundowns in a dark and rainy Pretoria.

Mothobi Mvala, a defensive midfielder known for his tough play, scored the game’s first goal by heading in a free kick after 41 minutes.

Cassius Mailula, a young player who just recently joined the starting lineup, put his team up 2-0 when he side-footed a rebound past goalkeeper Siyabonga Mpontshane with 63 minutes left in the game.

It was Sundowns’ seventh straight win in the Premiership. They have 31 points from 13 games and are going for a record-breaking sixth straight title.

SuperSport United beat Marumo Gallants 1-0 thanks to a goal from Zimbabwe full-back Onismor Bhasera. This put them above Richards Bay, who play on Saturday, and into second place.

A tough fight was over when Marumo’s goalkeeper, Washington Arubi, was beat by a powerful header from Bhasera on a free kick after 56 minutes.

Djakaridja Traore, a forward for TS Galaxy, scored all three goals as his team beat Maritzburg United 2-1.

The Ivorian scored an own goal, tied the score before halftime, and scored the game-winning goal in the 77th minute, ruining Maritzburg coach Fadlu Davids’s first game back at the club.

Photo by Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix