Bottom of the log before Saturday night’s Premier Soccer League (PSL) game, Thanda Royal Zulu achieved what not many PSL teams have managed — they left Cape Town with a clear-cut 2-0 victory over Santos and rose above Jomo Cosmos by a fractional goal-difference advantage.
It was further confirmation that the former Benoni Premier United, whose PSL franchise was bought by a Swedish-funded business consortium in KwaZulu-Natal, do not believe they are fleeting visitors to the PSL.
Incisive goals from Katleho Loke (20th minute) and Bennet Mnguni (31st minute) gave Thanda Royal Zulu a commanding 2-0 lead before the 30th minute, with the KwaZulu-Natal team funnelling back determinedly in the second period and absorbing a good deal of pressure without much fuss.
Santos, now only a single point ahead of the bottom club in the log, cannot by any stretch of the imagination claim they were thwarted by bad luck, with bad finishing more to the point as numerous opportunities were squandered as a result of ultra-nervy finishing.
On the few occasions that the Santos forwards threatened, they effectively neutralised their own efforts with discordant, off-the-target finishing.
And right until the end, Royal Zulu were able to hold on to their advantage and pepper the Santos goal from counter-attacks without further reward.
Spectators are seemingly becoming a rarity at many PSL games and it required a microscope to locate any at Athlone Stadium — a worrying factor, no doubt, for an organisation boasting multibillion-rand sponsorships. — Sapa