AmaZulu registered a hard-fought 1-0 win over Bloemfontein Celtic in an Absa Premiership match at the Princess Magogo Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
Usuthu’s reliable striker, Dumisani Ngwenya, scored the only goal.
The victory ended Celtics’ hopes of moving away from the bottom of the table. They are the only club that has not won a match since the start of season.
AmaZulu midfielder Kampamba Chintu almost grabbed the lead in the second minute when his powerful shot was saved by veteran Celtic goalkeeper Simon Gopane. The home side continued to pile on the pressure in a bid to unlock the stubborn Celtic defence, led by Cyrille Mubiala.
AmaZulu striker Sthembiso Dlamini was unlucky not to get the opener when his shot went inches wide after receiving a great cross from Bafo Biyela.
Celtic coach Mich D’Avray made a tactical change when he introduced Malawi midfielder Fisher Kondowe for striker Patrick Malokase in trying to break the impasse.
The AmaZulu defence was nearly caught off-guard in the 43rd minute when their goalkeeper, Kalililo Kakonje, made a stunning save to deny Celtic midfielder Mark Mayambela the lead from close range.
Usuthu continued where they left off after the break. The Celtic defence that had been under a lot of pressure in the early stages of the game finally cracked in the 62nd minute when Ngwenya broke the deadlock following a terrific pass from Awol Issah.
AmaZulu goalkeeper Kakonje made a dramatic save to deny Celtic midfielder Dikoti Ntho the equaliser in the 75th minute after receiving a pin-point cross from Kondowe.
Biyela nearly doubled the lead a minute before full-time when his shot was parried for a corner by Gopane. — Sapa