Nomvethe goals stun Ajax

A Siyabonga Nomvethe brace in the final minutes of the game stunned Ajax Cape Town to hand Moroka Swallows their first win (3-1) of the Absa Premiership at Dobsonville Stadium on Wednesday night.

Sean Roberts was handed his first start of the season after Sander Westerveld failed to shake off an ankle injury picked up in the match against SuperSport United. Meanwhile Travis Graham ticked off his debut for the Urban Warriors.

Nomvethe, the man who scored a brace the last time the two teams met, tried to break the deadlock in the sixth minute but his shot went out at the far post.

Ajax’s only goalscorer of the season so far, Terror Fanteni, tested Greg Etafia with a 30-metre shot but it was saved just before the half hour.

Ashraf Hendricks was having a solid first half when he once again threw himself in front of a ball as he blocked Thulani Hlatswayo’s shot, eight minutes later.

Both teams started the second half unchanged and it was Fanteni who once again found himself in the thick of things, as he was shown yellow for a late challenge on Lefa Tsutuslupa.

On the hour mark Bradley Grobler was given a half hour to showcase his official debut with Ajax, as he faced his dad’s former club.

Tsutsulupa’s effort from 20-yards out went out wide, before Maarten Stekelenburg opted for a change in game plan and brought on Keagon Dolly in place of Khama Billiat in the 69th minute.

The change of plans had an instant impact as Lebogang Manyama swung the ball into the top right corner two minutes later.

The visitors’ lead didn’t last long as substitute Katlego Mashego brought the teams level in the 79th minute. Hlatswayo gave away a free-kick after a foul on Bennett Chenene and it was from that set play that Mashego found the back of the net.

That equaliser seemed to put air into the Birds’ wings as they managed to pull another one out the hat when Nomvethe headed home a cross by Joseph Makhanya, two minutes from fulltime.

Nomvethe’s second was a shot from close range from Bennett Chenene’s supply.

Despite their late efforts at goal there was little Maarten Stekelenburg’s side could do as they slumped to their first defeat of the season.

– At the Free State Stadium  Bloemfontein Celtic secured their first win of the PSL season after beating Platinum Stars 2-1.

Phunya Sele Sele had been knocked out of the MTN8 quarterfinals by Orlando Pirates, before suffering a surprise 3-2 reversal in their League opener earlier in the month.

But goals from Siyabonga Nontshinga and Lennox Bacela gave Celtic the three points this time round, with Benson Mhlongo on target for Stars.

Celtic coach Clinton Larsen persevered with skipper Thabo Nthethe in central midfield alongside Letladi Madubanya, while Botswana international Joel Mogorosi got his first league start.

Youngster Lerato Manzini was preferred in attack to the more experienced Bacela, who dropped to the bench.

Platinum Stars coach Cavin Johnson made just one change from the side that defeated Moroka Swallows on the opening weekend of the League season, bringing in Solomon Mathe for Bongi Nyathi.

The game was just five minutes old when the home side took the lead, new signing Nontshinga netting his first in a Phunya Sele Sele shirt since joining from Jomo Cosmos.

The strike owed much to the fine work of Mogorosi down the right wing, with his cross perfect for Nontshinga to convert.

The visitors were forced into an early substitution when Tintswalo Tshabalala limped off just two minutes later, to be replaced by Lindokuhle Mbatha.

And the action-packed start to the game continued as Stars equalised through Mhlongo, his second in as many games since arriving from Orlando Pirates.

Patrick Tignyemb could only half-clear a cross and the ball fell to the former Bafana Bafana international Mhlongo, who rifled the shot into the back of the net.

Visiting goalkeeper Siyabonga Mpontshane made a good save from Lyle Lakay, who had connected with a corner, and then produced an even better effort to tip Mogorosi’s shot around the post.

Dikwena had more chances in the game, but failed to test Patrick Tignyemb in the Celtic goal with much regularity, their three-match winning streak against Phunya Sele Sele coming to an end.

Next up for Stars is an away trip to Ajax Cape Town on August 31, while Celtic must travel to BidVest Wits a day later.

– At Soccer City an inspired performance by Siyabonga Nkosi, which saw him score the opening goal and create the second, gave Kaizer Chiefs a 2-1 win over Mamelodi Sundowns.

Nkosi opened the scoring before he had a hand in Kingston Nkhatha’s headed goal. But Sundowns replied through Clayton Daniels, although many thought the goal will go down as an Itumeleng Khune own goal.

Sundowns will feel hard done by for not getting at least a point from a game in which they enjoyed a lot of possession.

Sundowns started well and it took them just three minutes to create some good combination play down the right flank with Teko Modise central to play.

The move resulted in a corner, taken by Modise, but Daniels could not keep his header down.

Two minutes later Tefu Mashamaite, who replaced Morgan Gould after he ruptured his Achilles tendon yesterday, got in a long-range shot, which Wayne Sandilands saved easily.

In the ninth minute, Modise played a one-two on the edge of the danger area and got in a decent shot, but Itumeleng Khune saved well at the base of his near post.

Two minutes later Siyabonga Nkosi got to the byline and pulled the ball back to Kingston Nkhatha, who was in a very good position to shoot at goal with Sandilands out of position.

But the Sundowns defence just got back in time to get a block in before Nkhatha could shoot at goal.

In the 16th minute, Modise let rip with a genuine long-range top corner effort, which Khune did really well to reach, albeit with one hand. A quality shot and quality save by two Bafana Bafana teammates.

In the 24th minute Siphiwe Tshabalala found space as he moved the ball onto his left foot and away from two defenders in front of him, but as he pulled the trigger his shot was blocked.

Just before the interval, Elis Pelembe made a great run down the right and his cross was deflected to Modise, standing on the edge of the danger area. He did well to hit a first-time left-footed volley, but his goal-bound effort was blocked.

Pelembe came very close in the 50th minute when he struck the upright with an attempt at the near post following a Modise corner.

But just two minutes later, Nkosi opened the scoring with a superb effort on the other end of the field.

After a clever Bernard Parker flick, Nkosi charged into the left side of the danger area with the ball on his left foot – and with his marker slightly behind him and Daniels approaching – he struck a powerful, low shot across goal and into the bottom corner.

Just six minutes later Nkosi turned provider, brilliantly heading Tshabalala’s deep corner back across goal for Nkhatha to nod home.

Sundowns replied in the 61st minute through Daniels who let rip with a powerful half volley from outside the area that beat Khune, cannoned off the upright and back onto Khune and went into goal.

The goal is technically an own goal by Khune, but Daniels’ quality effort deserved more.

There were a few opportunities for either side to score more goals inside the final fifteen minutes, but some excellent defending from the likes of Arendse and Erick Mathoho saw the scoreline stay 2-1 to Chiefs.

– At the Bidvest Stadium, Rodney Ramagalela scored the equaliser as Black Leopards came back from being 2-1 down after taking an early lead.

Nkosiyabo Xakane had given Leopards the lead before the Clever Boys scored two quick goals at the end of the first half through Calvin Kadi and Ryan Chapman.

By the 16th minute the match came into life when the visitors stunned the home crowd by finding the game’s opening goal. Nkosiyabo Xakane unleashed a right-footed low shot that beat Wits’ inexperienced ‘keeper Steven Hoffman.

The visitors were eager to get a cushion goal that would enable them to relax. They showed their intensions in the 26th minute when a shot by Karabo Tshepe from 20-metres was saved by Hoffman.

Any chance of Leopards doubling the lead was dealt a blow when the Clever Boys found an equaliser. The home side had a corner kick which Mbulelo Mabizela got his head to, but it was Kadi who poked the ball home from five metres to make it 1-1 in the 39th minute.

But the Clever Boys were not finished as just on the stroke of the halftime break, they grabbed an unlikely lead.

Bryce Moon broke down the right flank and delivered a ball into the box which was met by the head of Ryan Chapman who powered home to give his side the lead going into the interval.

Lidoda Duvha came out looking for the equaliser in the second half and it took them 13 minutes to find the all-important goal they needed.

Moses Kwena set up Ramagalela and the striker made no mistake with a fierce low shot from 12-yards out to make 2-2 in the 58th minute.

Both sides tried to find the all-important winning goal in the second half, but it was not to be as the match ended in an entertaining 2-2 draw.

It is the Clever Boys’ first point of the season after they lost their opening league match, while Lidoda Duvha now have four points from their two matches so far.

– SuperSport United and Orlando Pirates played to a second straight goalless draw at the Peter Mokaba Stadium.

The teams drew 0-0 at the Polokwane venue in a bruising MTN8 semifinal first leg match on Sunday, and this midweek game followed a similar pattern, though thankfully there were no red cards this time around.

The teams will resume their rivalry with a third match in the space of six days when they play the second leg of their semifinal at Orlando Stadium on Saturday night. Hopefully the change in venue brings some goals …

SuperSport created the first clear scoring opportunity, with Franklyn Cale teeing up Thabiso Nkoana in the penalty area in the eighth minute, but the youngster blasted his shot over the crossbar.

The hosts threatened again on the 20-minute mark when George Maluleka hit a shot on target from a 25-metre free kick, but goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa pulled off a good diving save to turn the ball away for a corner kick.

United looked dangerous from both open play and set pieces, using the height of Mor Diouf, Nathan Paulse and co. to dominate from dead-ball situations against their notably shorter opponents.

Pirates gradually worked their way into the game after SuperSport’s early dominance and began to find some joy down the flanks. An attack originating down the right wing handed Andile Jali a shooting chance from just outside the box on 34 minutes, but he ballooned the effort over the crossbar.

Striker Collins Mbesuma, making his first start for Bucs, also had a couple of half chances in the dying minutes of the first half, but the teams went to the interval with the game locked at 0-0.

The deadlock was very nearly broken by Pirates just past the hour mark when a well-struck free kick from Mpho Makola rebounded off the crossbar, with goalkeeper Ronwen Williams beaten all ends up.

Williams was replaced on the 70-minute mark by Rowen Fernandez, having succumbed to a head/neck injury he suffered in a collision with Mbesuma early in the second half.

In the 74th minute United wasted a good chance to take the lead, with Bevan Fransman shooting wide from a rebound after Meyiwa had palmed away Cale’s long range shot from a free kick.

Seven minutes later Nathan Paulse wasted two free headers in quick succession as Bucs’ defence began to look a little ragged. Yet it was the visitors who finished the stronger in added time and substitute Thulasizwe Mbuyane saw his 92nd minute shot well saved by Fernandez.

– At the Cedric Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium, University of Pretoria recorded their first win in the Absa Premiership when they defeated Lamontville Golden Arrows 1-0.

Mpho Maruping scored the only goal of the match in the first half to hand his side a hard-fought victory.

Arrows created the first chance of the match in the eighth minute when new man Boitumelo Sekgobela beat his marker on the left before playing the ball across to find Philani Shange at the far post, but his shot was deflected wide for a corner by a defender.

The hosts continued to dominate in the ball possession stakes but failed to get past the organised AmaTuks defence and it was the visitors who fashioned the next shooting chance in the 17th minute, only for Lionel Mutizwa to curl his shot wide from just outside the penalty area.

Steve Barker’s men continued to shoot on sight of goal and in the 21st minute Dipsy Selolwane fired his low shot wide of the the upright, while Dumisani Ngwenya shot straight at goalkeeper Pavels Steinbors seven minutes later.

AmaTuks eventually opened the scoring in the 37th minute as Maruping headed past a diving Steinbors, connecting with a cross from Mpho Matsi to hand his side the advantage just before the break.

The lead was almost doubled a minute into the second half when Ritus Krjauklis was caught in possession on the left side, allowing Selolwane to have a clear path to the box, but his blushes were saved by a desperate tackle from Souleymane Keita.

The second half continued in the same vain as the first with Arrows hogging the ball but lacking the creativity to get past the defence and they were almost punished again in the 70th minute as Ngwenya was offered room to shoot on the right side of the box, but his powerful strike went wide of the target.

Muhsin Ertugral’s men then had a chance to level matters in the 73rd minute as they were awarded a freekick about 25 yards out; Dillon Sheppard managed to get the ball through the wall but none of his teammates were able to capitalise when goalkeeper Washington Arubi fumbled the ball.

The home side continued to launch attack after attack and even sacrificed a defender for an attacker in the last ten minutes, but AmaTuks managed to keep their shape at the back. — Soccer Reporter, SportsCentral