ANDREW MUCHINERIPI, Johannesburg | Monday 12.30pm.
Jomo Cosmos (0) 1 (Bradley Muir 84-pen)
Manning Rangers (1) 2 (Bruce Ramokadi 39, Keryn Jordan 58)
FOOTBALL truly is a funny game because Jomo Cosmos finished this Rothmans Cup semi-final, first leg grateful to be only one goal behind after wasting sufficient first-half chances to win comfortably.
If pencil-slim Mozambican striker Nuro Tualibudine lives until 100 he still will probably not have worked out what happened midway through the first half at the scarcely-populated East Rand ground.
One of several untypical blunders by goalkeeper Grant Johnson found Tualidudine with the ball at his feet inside the penalty area and only Bradley Muir guarding the goal.
But instead of striking the ball firmly into the net and giving the Ezenkosi a lead they merited, Nuro struck his left-foot shot wide and was immediately installed as a candidate for the miss-of-the-season award.
Nuro had come close after only 10 minutes with a shot that beat Johnson only to fly just wide and the bad luck of the home side continued when a Godfrey Sapula cross rebounded off the upright.
Rangers forced their first corner after 39 minutes and it brought them a shock lead as Bruce Ramokadi pounced on a weak clearance to fire past motionless goalkeeper Simon Gopane.
The Mighty Maulers from Durban doubled their advantage early in the second half when slack marking permitted Keryn Jordan to send a glancing header wide of Gopane into the corner of the net off a Japhet Zwane free kick.
Cosmos introduced Oupa Matjiane, Morgan Nkathazo and Eric Sono, the son of coach Jomo, to try and ignite the front line but it took a late own goal from Muir to give them some hope for the second leg in Durban on Wednesday evening.