Kaizer Chiefs remained on top of the log when they beat Santos 3-1 in a Premier Soccer League match played at the Newlands Rugby Stadium in Cape Town on Wednesday night.
The visitors led 2-1 at the interval.
Chiefs were fortunate to take all the points as, on two occasions, defenders managed to clear what appeared to be certain goals off the line with goalkeeper Rowen Fernandez beaten.
The ground was perfect and the large crowd thoroughly enjoyed the high standard of soccer.
In the third minute, Carlos Scott beat a defender but his shot was poor and easily saved by Fernandez. At the other end, a corner kick fell to Louis Agyemang and his shot shaved the upright. A beautiful build-up by Chiefs in the 13th minute saw Ditheko Mototo pass to Gert Schalkwyk, whose shot was blocked by Edries Burton.
Chiefs opened the score in the 24th minute when a pass came in from the right and Schalkwyk netted. A minute later it was all level again when Fernandez was unable to hold on to the ball; it went forward and Carlos Scott scored.
Patrick Mayo tried to score from the goal line in the 35th minute, and the ball ran along the crossbar and back into play, but Burton cleared.
In the 40th minute, the ball went forward and was passed to Dinashe Nengomasha, who scored, but he was off-side.
On half-time Santos’s Dipsy Selolwane’s shot was kicked off the line by Mayo. The next minute Chiefs had a corner and an unmarked Mayo moved smartly in the box and headed home for Chiefs to take the lead.
Santos had bad luck in the 47th minute when Omar Hendricks’s shot hit the crossbar. In the 62nd minute, Schalkwyk’s powerful shot from the edge of the box was brilliantly saved by a diving Brenden Wardle.
Chiefs went further ahead in the 83rd minute when a good build-up saw the ball go to Schalkwyk, whose powerful shot from the right went in at the far corner.
With five minutes to go, Burton’s header was stopped on goal line by a Chiefs defender.
Sundowns beat Swallows
Mamelodi Sundowns chalked up a closely fought 2-1 win over Moroka Swallows that materially boosted the Brazilians’ prospects in the tight Premier Soccer League title race at Orlando Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
With the teams level at 1-1 in the 66th minute and a rejuvenated Swallows in the ascendancy after trailing 1-0 at half-time, Mame Niang squandered what one official described as ”the miss of the century”.
A screaming 35m drive from Swallows full-back Innocent Chikoya thudded off the post and straight into the path of Niang. But with Sundowns goalkeeper Andre Arendse stranded in no-man’s-land and an untended goal staring Niang in the face from 2m, the 2m-tall Senegalese striker somehow contrived to guide the ball wide.
Then, as if rubbing salt into Swallows’ wounds 10 minutes later, their Nigerian international goalkeeper Greg Etafia fumbled a long through-pass and Sundowns substitute Godfrey Sapula made no mistake as he guided the ball into the net.
It marked what was virtually a heartbreaking exit for Swallows from the championship race, with the irony of the situation that they performed with verve and spirit for much of the game against the expensively assembled Sundowns and hardly deserved to lose.
The mesmerising Monqoba Ngwenya opened the score for Sundowns in the 30th minute after receiving a defence-splitting pass from Josta Dladla, and Swallows equalised through a Niang penalty two minutes after the interval following an Esrom Nyandoro handball.
The goal signalled a period of Swallows’ dominance and had their supporters in a 10 000-strong crowd bubbling in high expectation of a stunning victory.
But the two glaring blunders at each end of the field effectively took the wind out of Swallows’ sails as a grateful Sundowns defended en masse and held out for a valuable, if somewhat fortuitous, victory.
United outwit Ajax
A tenacious last-ditch fight-back from Supersport United saw them emerge 2-1 victors over Ajax Cape Town in their Premier Soccer League match played at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Wednesday.
Without their inspirational coach, Pitso Mosimane, United made clear their intentions to gain maximum points at home when Koena Mathopa scored in the fifth minute. Mosimane has apparently been given leave by his employers.
However, Ajax drew level in the opening exchanges of the second half through a Franklin Caye header in the 57th minute, only for Sibusiso Mahlangu to score the clincher with nine minutes left of regulation time.
Hosts United should have easily wrapped up proceedings in the first half, but a barrage of missed opportunities and an early second-half slump meant that the home side had to work hard towards the end of the match.
Ajax had looked to steal the victory in the second half as they continuously flooded the United goal area, and the match was almost a stalemate when Thembinkosi Fanteni was marginally caught straying offside in the 90th minute with his header well tucked in the United goal.
After enjoying much of the possession and creating most of the play in the first half, the hosts seemed comfortable defending their slender lead into the half-time break.
United deserved their early lead but after getting the better of Ajax, especially in the tactical stakes, but fell into a false sense of security that the game was already in the bag.
United could have extended their lead in the 16th minute when Daine Klate’s shot from an acute angle was spectacularly saved by Moeneeb Josephs.
With Ajax patiently waiting to pounce on a United error, Ajax striker Fanteni failed to make good of a golden opportunity in the 17th minute when his header was cleared off the line by Mahlangu.
Lady luck was also not with United in the first stanza as Abram Raselemane’s shot in the 22nd minute hit the upright, only for Mathopa to shoot the rebound over the bar.
Arrows quiver
A 10-man Silver Stars beat Golden Arrows 3-1 in an entertaining and fast-moving Premier Soccer League match played at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg on Wednesday night.
Stars led 2-1 at half-time.
Both teams meant business and scored two quick goals within a minute of each other. The home team scored in the fifth minute through Koketso Mmotong, and Arrows striker Alton Mering cancelled that out immediately with a curling free kick at the other end of the ground.
Three minute before the break, Stars striker Katlego Mashego put his team in front from a free kick.
In the 60th minute, Dingaan Masanabo secured the win for Stars with his team’s third goal.
Stars coach Owen da Gama replaced in-form Stanley Kgatla for Jeffrey Makoti in the 72nd minute, but he only lasted three minutes. He was sent packing by referee Robert Sithole following a vicious tackle from behind on an Arrows player.
Classic hang on
Classic increased their chances of surviving relegation when scoring a 1-0 victory against Dynamos in a dull Premiership match played at the Harry Gwala Stadium in Pietermaritzburg on Wednesday night.
The home side collected maximum points through a goal by Dikgang ”Terminator” Mabalane that came in the 29th minute. Mabalane finished off an easy ball that troubled Dynamos goalkeeper Swadick Sanudi from a cross by Graham King.
Classic should have had more goals, but Democratic Republic of Congo international Kabamba Musasa wasted too many chances. One good chance for him came in the ninth minute when he shot wide in front of goals. Musasa seemed to be unlucky on the day because he did all he could but could not find the back of the net.
Luntu Mazana was hungry for goals but he was also unlucky.
Classic had the better share of the possession in the first half and their defence was outstanding on the day under the leadership of captain Bongani Khachide.
This was Classic’s first victory in the Premier Soccer League under coach Mlungisi ”Professor” Ngubane, who replaced former Bafana Bafana mentor Trott Moloto.
Home win for Bucks
Bush Bucks had to wait until the 72nd minute to register their first home victory when they beat Black Leopards 1-0 in a closely contested Premier Soccer League match in East London on Wednesday night.
The goal came courtesy of defender Phumlani Mhamha, who scored through a header after a well-taken corner by Manelisi Gomoshe.
Bucks’ leading striker James Chamanga was unlucky when his shot was cleared off the line in the 10th minute by Leopards defender Fernande Matola, with goalkeeper Johannes Diale well beaten.
Leopards striker James Mayinga failed to finish off a rebound in the 25th minute when Bucks goalkeeper Tampungu Dikete failed to handle a ground shot from Solly Mahlangu.
In the 25th minute, Diale made a breathtaking save when he parried a half volley from a corner taken by Fisher Condowe.
Celtic in form
Bloemfontein Celtic continued their incredible run of form when they defeated Cosmos 1-0 in an exciting Premier Soccer League match played in Bloemfontein on Wednesday.
Celtic had their talismanic midfielder Siyabonga Nkosi to thank for the victory, with the Bafana star scoring in the first half.
The Bloemfontein team have now won four of their last five Premiership matches and move above Cosmos in the standings, climbing to 11th spot. — Sapa