The African Champions league match won 5-3 in a penalty shootout by Ajax against ASFA Yennenga of Burkina Faso in Cape Town on Sunday ended as a disgrace for South African soccer when a fight broke out among several players on the side of the field during injury time.
It all started when referee Arno Mufeti of Namibia awarded Ajax a penalty in the 89th minute when Wilfred Mugeyi was fouled in the box. Brent Carelse stepped up to take the kick and his shot hit the upright.
The rebounded ball was kicked to the sideline, where Nathan Paulse tripped up Moussa Konwelbo and a fight broke out.
Bradley August also joined in, as well as several of the visiting players. When calm was restored, Paulse was shown the red card by the referee.
In the penalty shootout, Abdoulaye Soulama, who saved his team in actual play, took the first kick and missed. After that, all the players scored their penalties to win 5-3 on penalties.
Ajax looked for an early goal to cancel the goal they conceded, but excellent goalkeeping by Soulama saw the half-time mark goalless.
In the eighth minute, a bullet from Norman Mareza was well saved by Soulama.
In the ninth minute, the home side had three corners in succession and the third one was headed out by Affane Allarne with Bradley August, whose 30m drive skimmed the cross bar.
Ajax levelled the score in the 47th minute when Dominique Isaacs’s free kick was headed home by Enoch Tshabalala. — Sapa