A 2-1 win for SuperSport United in a tough away assignment against Santos at the Athlone Stadium on Tuesday night showed that the defending champions have no plans of relinquishing their title.
It was a solid display by Matsatsantsa, who had to survive a late onslaught from Santos, also having to play the final 15 minuets with 10 men after Letladi Madubanya got sent off.
Following a quiet start to the match, the league champions burst to life in the 10th minute as some wonderful combination play between three of their most skilled players — Brent Carelse, Daine Klate and Anthony Laffor, resulted in the latter’s header being tipped over the bar by Tshepo Motsoeneng.
But the home side were powerless to prevent United from taking the lead from the corner kick, which followed as Cape Town boy Ricardo Katza buried the ball into the back of the net with a powerful header; 1-0 to the Pretoria side after 11 minutes.
And when a mistake from Motsoeneng allowed Dario Monteiro to sneak in and head home his second goal in two games, it looked as if the home side had already conceded the result.
A spirited fightback
But they gradually began to find their feet in attack and were unlucky not to pull a goal back in the 36th minute when Graham King’s volley struck the upright, via a deflection off a SuperSport defender.
Home fans didn’t however, have to wait long as the Peoples’ Team found the net just three minutes later when Phikolethu Spelman’s burst down the left flank saw him squaring the ball for Tyren Arendse to guide home in the 39th minute, making sure Gavin Hunt had something to think about, or indeed say to his charges during the break.
Indeed there was no panic in the SuperSport ranks as they came out after the break and slowed the game down with clever possession play.
Without about 20 minutes to go though, the Peoples’ Team began to exert pressure on the United box as King and Spelman both got efforts in on goal.
United found themselves on the back foot to a larger degree in the 75th minute when Madubanya got sent off for a second bookable offence.
And the defending champions had to endure some nervous anxious moments late on as Musa Otieno’s header forced Emile Baron into making a superb save, while Eleazar Rodgers narrowly failed to find the net with a 92nd minute header. — Sapa