Ajax Cape Town had to wait until the 89th minute to claim victory in their Castle Premier Soccer League match played at the Athlone Stadium on Friday night.
The home team were all over Black Leopards in the second half, but could not get the ball in the net. Finally, one minute from the end, Ajax were awarded a free kick from 30m out. Brent Evans floated the ball in and Nathan Paulse rose high to head the ball home to give the home side a 1-0 victory.
The visitors were quick to the ball, but the experience of the Ajax defence was too much for them.
Leopards relied on the breakaway for much of the game and in the fifth minute, Rudzani Ramudzuli’s 35m drive just skimmed the crossbar.
At the other end, Franklin Cale centred from the left and Stanton Lewis’s shot went just wide of the upright.
The visitors’ goalkeeper, Guy Mutshi, dived to his left to save a hard drive by Evans from 30m out, and the in the 42nd minute he again had to dive to save Quinton Jacobs’s shot.
Leopards had a good chance in the 39th minute when Mulondo Sikhwivhilu moved smartly down the left, but he overran the ball and Moneeb Josephs easily saved. — Sapa