Bloemfontein Celtic grabbed the headlines when they recorded an
8-0 victory over Moroka Swallows to top Group A, in their MultiChoice Diski
Challenge match at the Nike Training Centre in Pimville, Soweto on Wednesday.
Vuyani Ntanga was the star of
the day as he netted four of the Celtic's goals, with the third being a
scorcher and a contender for the goal-of-the-week accolade. A total of 31 goals
were scored, which is a record so far in the tournament as all the 16 teams
were in action on the same day for the first time.
Orlando Pirates were the only
side to register a second-straight win when they edged Chippa United 2-1 to
take control of Group B, with Masalaelo Seanego scoring a last-minute winner.
In the final matches of the
day, which were both contested by Group B teams, Mpumalanga Black Aces and
Bidvest Wits played to an exciting 3-3 draw – while Platinum Stars and Mamelodi
Sundowns played to a goalless draw.
Aces’ James Bell scored the
quickest goal of the competition when he found the back of the net within
seconds in the match. Tshidiso Monamodi helped Wits recover quickly when he
equalised in the second minute, Elasto Kapowezha then gave the Students the
lead in the 30th minute.
Given Mashikane equalised
for Aces in the 37th minute while Bell completed his brace with 13 minutes
remaining. But they were denied victory in unfortunate circumstances when
Vincent Kobola scored an own goal a few minutes before full time.
Sundowns found it hard to
break a disciplined Stars' defence despite boasting a talented attack in Percy
Tau, Thamsanqa Mashiya and Bonginkosi Ntuli - with Sphamandla Mlilo, Kamogelo
Mathe and Michael Mabule ensuring that they keep things tight at the back.
In the matches that
preceded the last ones, Pirates and Ajax Cape Town snatched late wins, with
Seanego becoming the hero for the young Buccaneers and Noah Sidaoui doing the
same for the Urban Warriors – to give them their first win.
Seanego scored a
last-minute goal to help Pirates win their clash against Chippa United 2-1 and
became the first side to reach six points in the tournament.
Pirates recovered from
conceding a third-minute Owen Naidoo goal to record their second straight win.
Menzi Masuku equalised in the 12th minute before Seanego got a last-gasp,
winning goal with a tap in.
Ajax had to wait until the
final minute as well to find a goal that gave them a 3-2 win over Polokwane
City. Noah Sidaoui scored with a header to complete his brace and give the Cape
side their first win.
City took the lead in the
24th minute through Sakhile Ngubo, and Sidaoui equalised nine minutes into the
second half, but Sello Matjila restored City’s lead in the 75th minute. Justin
Jacobus brought Ajax level three minutes later, before Sadaoui found the winner
in stoppage time.
GOALS GALORE
Earlier, Kaizer Chiefs and
SuperSport United played to a 1-1 draw in their Group A clash.
SuperSport broke the
deadlock five minutes into the match when striker Lerato Manzini beat
goalkeeper Ryaan Pieterse. Chiefs got a quick reply as Hendrick Ekstein put
them level in the 10th minute.
In the other afternoon
clash, Free State Stars bounced back in style after suffering a defeat against
Sundowns, beating AmaZulu 3-1 in the first Group B match of the day.
Adam Basit opened the
scoring in the 45th minute and Jackson Maphathe doubled the lead seven minutes
into the second half. Bongani Ndimande pulled one back for AmaZulu six minutes
later, before Basit ensured Stars win when he completed his brace in the 67th
minutes.
In the first matches,
Celtic ran riot against home side Swallows handing them an 8-0 drubbing, to
take control of Group A.
University of Pretoria also
registered their first win of the competition after coming from a goal down to
edge Maritzburg United, who suffered their second straight loss.
Celtic, who now lead the
group with an eight-goal difference, went to halftime leading 2-0 after goals
from Mokone Mereko and Thapelo Morena.
It was one-way traffic in
the second half as they added six more goals, with Vuyani Ntanga scoring the
first of his four goals within three minutes after the restart. Ishmael Njoti
netted the fourth goal minutes later.
Meanwhile, Dumisani Zuma
found the back of the net to give Celtic a convincing 5-0 lead, before Nyanda
followed with a hat-trick which included a stunning strike from outside the
box.
Maritzburg took the lead in
the 59th minute after a goalless first half through Bandile Shandu. Botshelo
Mfulwane found the equaliser for Tuks 10 minutes later, and Mpho Maruping
grabbed the winner in the 74th minute.
RESULTS
Group A:
Moroka Swallows 0-8
Bloemfontein Celtic
University of Pretoria 2-1 Maritzburg United
Kaizer Chiefs 1-1 SuperSport United
Polokwane City 2-3 Ajax Cape Town
University of Pretoria 2-1 Maritzburg United
Kaizer Chiefs 1-1 SuperSport United
Polokwane City 2-3 Ajax Cape Town
Group B:
Free State Stars 3-1
AmaZulu
Orlando Pirates 2-1 Chippa United
Mpumalanga Black Aces 3-3 Bidvest Wits
Platinum Stars 0-0 Mamelodi Sundowns
Orlando Pirates 2-1 Chippa United
Mpumalanga Black Aces 3-3 Bidvest Wits
Platinum Stars 0-0 Mamelodi Sundowns
No comments:
Post a Comment