A goal in each half gave Santos a 2-0 victory over Bloemfontein Celtic in a Castle Premier Soccer league game played at the Athlone Stadium on Wednesday.
The victory eased Santos’ relegation woes.
Santos took the lead in the second minute when a cross from the right was headed down by Jean-Marc Ithier to Carlo Scott, whose shot went into the top right-hand corner.
Five minutes later, Santos missed a golden opportunity to go two up when Marawaan Bantam, from 8m out, ballooned the ball high over the bar.
In the 28th minute, Celtic’s Lebajoa Mphongoa’s shot from the edge of the penalty box went just right.
The last 10 minutes of the first half belonged to the visitors, who mounted attack after attack, but the old men, especially Musa Otieno Ongao and Zvenyikoa Makonese, held firm.
In the 50th minute, Ithier tried to round goalkeeper Vincent Ongandzi in the box but the latter brought him down. The referee had no doubts about awarding the home team a penalty, which Ongao easily converted.
The visitors were unlucky in the 61st minute when Moses Spandeel’s powerful shot was turned round the corner by goalkeeper Brenden Wardle.
In the 65th minute, Mphongoa missed a sitter when Wardle came out of his box to clear, but the shot well wide of the upright. — Sapa