Platinum Stars redeemed themselves demolishing Bloemfontein Celtic in a seven-goal thriller Absa Premiership match played at Seisa Ramabodu Stadium on Wednesday night.
Stars won this goal feast 5-2 and climbed several rungs up the log ladder.
Celtic were reduced to 10 men later in the match after defender Michael Khaile was sent off by referee Abdul Ibrahim, for a second bookable offence.
Joseph Molangoane, Dillon Sheppard, Hendrico Botes and Bradley Grobler scored for the visitors. Stars should have won by a bigger margin as they went about their business in an efficient manner.
Grobler made the first attempt at goal in the 10th minute but his powerful shot from outside the box was parried for a corner by keeper Patrick Tignyemb.
From the resultant corner kick, Molangoane netted the opener in the 11th minute beating the keeper from an awkward angle after a neat pass from Botes.
However, Sandile Ndlovu levelled matters four minutes later, after the defence failed to clear a brilliant cross from Mark Mayambela.
The visitors fought back and Grobler duly obliged in the 24th minute, connecting a flicked-on pass from Tshepo Ramokala, who did well to beat his opponents in the box.
Stars deservedly increased their lead in the 42nd minute when substitute Sheppard, beat Tignyemb on the far post after a clinical
cross from Joseph Mkalipa. Sheppard came on in the 32nd minutes for injured Molangoane.
Trailing 3-1 at the break, Celtic brought on Moses Spandeel for Mayambela. The effort paid off when Prince Olomu netted with a header in the 49th minute, beating Tapuwa Kapini from a flicked-on pass by Ndlovu, who rose above the rest to connect with a corner kick taken by Cecil Oerson.
But Stars’ Botes broke Celtic rhythm when he scored with a superb header in the 58th minute, to make it 4-2 from a cross whipped-in by Sheppard.
The visitors shifted into top gear, exposing Celtic’s aerial adefence.
In the 70th minute, Coldrin Coetzee came close but missed the target by inches with Tignyemb off his line.
A minute later, Botes had his powerful shot inside the box blocked and Mbuyiselo Sambu’s long-range shot was parried over the bar by Kapini.
Stars capitalised on their numerical advantage and Grobler scored his brace, chipping over the advancing Tignyemb after being set-up by Botes to make it 5-2 in favour of Stars.
In other matches on Wednesday, Kaizer Chiefs beat Ajax Cape Town 2-1, Golden Arrows surprised SuperSport United with a 1-0 win, AmaZulu thrashed Moroka Swallows 4-0 and Mamelodi Sundowns managed a 1-0 win over Maritzburg United. — Sapa