Latest news with #IqraamRayners
IOL News
2 hours ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Mamelodi Sundowns back to winning ways with convincing victory over AmaZulu
Iqraam Rayners of Mamelodi Sundowns celebrates his goal during their Betway Premiership against AmaZulu at Loftus Versveld on Tuesday. Photo: BackpagePix Image: Backpagepix Mamelodi Sundowns swiftly put their stuttering start to the 2025/26 Betway Premiership season behind them to secure maximum points in their second match of the campaign, easing to a 2-0 victory over AmaZulu on Tuesday night. The Brazilians had many already questioning their prospects of a ninth successive championship when they were held to a 1-1 draw away to Chippa United on Matchday one. But Miguel Cardoso's men restored business as usual at Loftus Versfeld with a win that was never truly in doubt. Granted, they only broke the deadlock after the interval, having failed to breach the Usuthu defence in the opening 45 minutes. It was not for a lack of endeavour, as Sundowns created chances aplenty and could have rendered the contest academic by half-time. Kutloano Letlhaku, Arthur Sales, Marcelo Allende and Themba Zwane all came close to beating Olwethu Johnson following incisive attacking moves. The second half brought a decisive change, particularly with the introduction of Tashreeq Matthews, whose energy and creativity transformed the Brazilians' attacking play. He would end the evening with both an assist and a goal. Sundowns opened the scoring with a superb Iqraam Rayners volley, the striker finishing off a flowing team move initiated by Allende. Sales delivered a delicate cross from the right, which Matthews headed back across the box for Rayners to smash home. Johnson knew from the roar behind him that he had been well beaten. As the final whistle approached, Matthews added his name to the scoresheet. Sales played the ball into the area, and Matthews brought it under control with finesse before turning away from his marker and firing in off the base of the upright. It was a result and performance to silence those who thought Sundowns might be vulnerable, reaffirming their dominance in both possession and build-up play while repeatedly prising open AmaZulu's defence. With their supposed main title rivals, Orlando Pirates, slipping to a second consecutive defeat, the question now is who can stop Sundowns from securing a ninth league crown in succession. Tuesday's outcome will only add intrigue to the MTN8 semi-final first leg between the two sides at Orlando Stadium on Saturday. Tuesday night's PSL results: Marumo Gallants 2-1 Orlando Pirates Mamelodi Sundowns 2-0 Amazulu Orbit College 1-0 Siwelele FC
TimesLIVE
2 hours ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Rayners and Matthews on target as Sundowns beat AmaZulu at Loftus
Mamelodi Sundowns got their Betway Premiership campaign on track with a hard-fought 2-0 win over AmaZulu at Loftus on Tuesday night. With their first win of the season that was secured through second-half goals from Iqraam Rayners and Tashreeq Matthews, the Brazilians moved to second spot on the standings below Marumo Gallants. This was a much-needed victory for Sundowns as they recovered from the 1-1 opening day draw with Chippa United last weekend, which led to supporters questioning how their season is going to unfold. This was not an impressive performance, but they will go to their crunch MTN8 semifinal first-leg clash against rivals Orlando Pirates at a sold out Orlando Stadium on Saturday with winning momentum. For AmaZulu, it is back to the drawing board for coach Arthur Zwane as they remain middle of the table with three points from their opening day win over newbies Orbit College.
The Citizen
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
‘It was a dream debut' – Basadien wants more game time at Downs
'Maybe I wanted to get more minutes but for now it's good to get some touches on the ball and play with the guys,' said Basadien. New Mamelodi Sundowns signing Fawaaz Basadien has his sights set on earning regular minutes after making his debut in the Brazilians' emphatic 4-0 win over Richards Bay in the MTN8 quarter-final last Sunday. Basadien's first Sundowns showing The 28-year-old defender, who joined Sundowns from Stellenbosch FC during the current transfer window, came off the bench with just 12 minutes remaining, replacing Zuko Mdunyelwa at Lucas Moripe Stadium. ALSO READ: Mngqithi – we are all gunning for Cardoso's Sundowns By then, the hosts had already wrapped up the result, with Iqraam Rayners netting a brace, along with an own goal by Bay defender Simphiwe Mcineka and a late strike from Siyabonga Mabena. Basadien is now aiming to cement his place in the squad as he looks to boost his chances of a Bafana Bafana call-up ahead of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco this December. 'I enjoyed every single minute of it. As soon as I came in, the guys wanted to give me the ball. Maybe, I wanted to get more minutes but for now it's good to get some touches on the ball and play with the guys,' Basadien told the Sundowns media team. 'The target is to play regularly and help the team achieve more, win more trophies but my main thing is just to help the team. By that I mean helping them keep clean sheets and getting assists by trying to reach the team's objectives and winning titles as well.' After his arrival at Stellenbosch in 2022, Basadien quickly became a key member of the squad and played a vital role in their Carling Knockout Cup success in 2023. Basadien's move to Chloorkop sees him follow a familiar path, with former Stellies teammates Jayden Adams and Iqraam Rayners also having joined the Betway Premiership champions last season. 'It's an honour and a privilege to make my debut for such a club as Mamelodi Sundowns and I was looking forward to it,' he concluded. ALSO READ: Pirates coach confident Mofokeng will stay despite transfer talk 'Once I got inside the field, my teammates made me feel comfortable and they just wanted me to get a touch of the ball and get comfortable on the ball. It was a dream debut for me and I couldn't wait for it. I've been looking forward to it and fortunately it happened.'
IOL News
29-07-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Rayners could lead Sundowns' charge for long awaited Caf glory
Iqraam Rayners of Mamelodi Sundowns. Photo: Backpagepix Image: Backpagepix Mamelodi Sundowns will begin their MTN8 journey with a home fixture against Richards Bay FC at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday evening (18:00 kick-off), as they look to end a surprisingly long wait for domestic cup success. While the Tshwane giants have continued to assert themselves as kings of the Betway Premiership—securing a seventh successive league title—they've found cup competitions less forgiving in recent seasons. Their hunger to conquer African football has grown, but at home, they've had to settle for near misses. That's why lifting the MTN8 is expected to feature high on their to-do list this season. Their last domestic triumph came in this very competition in 2021/22, and by their high standards, that feels like a drought. The Brazilians bowed out in disappointing fashion in last year's MTN8, falling to Stellenbosch FC in both legs of the semi-final by a 1-0 scoreline. Since winning the MTN8 in 2021/22, however, they've added to their continental pedigree by winning the inaugural African Football League and retaining their league crown with relative ease. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading The last time they reached a domestic final was their 2-1 defeat to Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup of the 2023/24 season—another reminder that despite their league dominance, cup glory continues to elude them. Heading into his first full season in charge, head coach Miguel Cardoso will be eager to make an early statement by guiding the Chloorkop-based side to MTN8 glory. Much of that ambition will rest on the shoulders of in-form striker Iqraam Rayners. The Bafana Bafana forward made a seamless transition into the Sundowns setup after joining from Stellenbosch FC, and was one of the standout performers last season. Between league and cup competitions, Rayners bagged 24 goals and chipped in with nine assists. Alongside Brazilian star Lucas Ribeiro Costa, the pair gave opposing defences plenty to think about. Despite his prolific form, Rayners was surprisingly overlooked for the Premier Soccer League's Footballer of the Season award—a snub that didn't sit well with many observers. Still, the 29-year-old remains upbeat and focused. 'A lot of people did not believe in me, but I obviously believe in myself and the coaches and the players,' Rayners told the club's podcast. 'My first season I was happy to be at the club and doing my best.' While disappointed after seeing the list of nominees, Rayners took it in stride. 'I was a bit disappointed because I had a good season last season with a good team and good players and coaches believed in me. I was disappointed when I saw the players that were nominated.' With talk swirling around Ribeiro's potential departure, the timing could be right for Rayners to further stake his claim as a key figure for both Sundowns and Bafana Bafana. The upcoming MTN8 could serve as his personal and team platform to deliver silverware and silence any lingering doubt. More than that, the tournament serves as a pre-season springboard—an opportunity to kickstart the campaign in fine fashion and dominate not only the league but every front.
The Herald
29-07-2025
- Sport
- The Herald
Stats should have earned me awards nominations: Sundowns' Rayners
Soccer 'For me, the best player in the league was Lucas, I think I'm second after Lucas' 29 July 2025 Iqraam Rayners of Mamelodi Sundowns. Image: Richard Huggard Mamelodi Sundowns striker Iqraam Rayners admits being disappointed after he was overlooked for nominations for the Premier Soccer League Awards. Rayners had an outstanding campaign in his first season with Sundowns after joining them from Stellenbosch FC, contributing 14 goals and nine assists in 26 matches as he helped the club win their eighth successive Premiership title. He was not nominated for any of the awards despite having an impressive season and feels he deserves to be among the nominees. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐠! 🎙🔥We are back with another episode after an incredible season, joined by Iqraam Rayners as he reflects on a standout season, discusses the PSL awards & looks ahead to the upcoming campaign! 🙌 The… — Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) July 28, 2025 The TV-only PSL Awards will be broadcast on SuperSport on Tuesday night (7pm). 'I'm a bit disappointed because [with] what I did last season I had a good campaign with a good team, good players helping me,' Rayners said on Sundowns' Pitchside Podcast. 'The coaches believed in me, so I was disappointed when I saw the players nominated. I think my stats from last season were good enough to be in a lot of nominations.' The Bafana Bafana striker believes Sundowns teammate Lucas Ribeiro was the best player this past season. Rayners feels he should have been second in the pecking order of nominations. 'For me, the best player in the league was Lucas. I think I'm second after Lucas,' he said. 'My stats were the second best, so I was disappointed.' SowetanLIVE
