NEVER SAY DIE
Angels rise from the dead... again!
FOR the second week in a row, a stirring second-half comeback saw Eleven Angels rescue a seemingly hopeless situation, fighting back from two goals down to snatch precious points.
In Matebeleng seven days earlier, a last gasp, Goitseone Motshwari strike earned Angels an unlikely draw against Masitaoka in a game they trailed 2-0 until the 83rd minute.
In Ghetto on Saturday, Seemo Mpatane’s men went one better.
Losing 2-0 at half-time, Lekgamu La Bananyana looked dead and buried, destined for a damning defeat that would have left them in the relegation zone.
Instead, three goals in a scarcely believable 19-minute blitz saw Angels overcome Morupule Wanderers to move four places up the log to 11th, taking their bounty to seven points from their last three outings.
Having bossed the first half, Wanderers were left wondering what hit them!
Unbeaten in their previous five fixtures, the Palapye side went into the clash full of confidence.
BOOST
That belief received an early boost, midfielder Baboloki Makhura left completely unmarked as he rose to head home Tiroyaone Makhura’s out-swinging corner in the 14th minute.
Although it was a quality header from Makhura, it was far too easy for the Wanderers man, indicative of an ailing Angels defence which at that point had conceded 24 times already this season (only Holy Ghost, 28, have leaked more). Goal number 25 followed soon after. Angels’ defensive short-comings were laid bare again before the interval, right back, Tendai Kesekile afforded more time than an African President in power to pick out Dominic Chungwa at the back post.
Free in the box, the Zimbabwean hitman gave opposition goalkeeper, Tambani Bachopi, no chance with his powerful, precise header.
As Bafana Ba Magala wheeled away in celebration, Angels reacted in fury.
With an animated Mpatane leading the protests, the Francistowners were adamant the referee should have stopped play in the build-up to the goal, with midfielder Kudzani Sibanda
sprawled out in agony on the floor.
They were especially enraged as the man in the middle had earlier blown up, cutting an Angels counter-attack short to allow an injured Wanderers player to receive treatment.
Having previously denied the home side what they felt was a clear penalty for handball, the ref was already on shaky ground with the fans, the mood in the Old Francistown Stadium menacing.
The remonstrations continued at half-time, Coach Mpatane lucky not to see red as his frustrations with the whistle man boiled over.
At that point, their composure completely blown, Angels were in danger of imploding.
Instead, they exploded into life after the break, harnessing the fire in their belly in thrilling fashion; whatever Mpatane told his troops in the dressing room worked wonders!
They needed just five minutes to half the deficit, striker, Motshwari, slamming a fierce free-kick under the flimsy Wanderers wall, which parted like the Red Sea.
Unsighted, goalkeeper, Kagiso Moganetsi, was unable to stop the ball squirming through him.
Moments later it was 2-2, Motshwari capitalising on a slip from a defender, nipping the ball past the on-rushing keeper and rolling it into the empty net.
It was the on-fire forward’s fourth goal in three games; the highly
rated ‘Terror’ has been terrific since joining from Nico United last month, establishing himself as a crucial part of Mpatane’s squad.
With the game in the balance, it was another in-form Angel, Desmond Mtokufa, who grabbed the winner.
Bursting through, the dreadlocked winger beat Moganetsi to the bouncing ball, expertly lifting it over him before smashing a rocket past the defender on the line.
It was the first time Angels had scored three in the Premier League since beating Masitaoka 3-2 in early March last year.
Shell-shocked, Morupule were unable to mount a comeback of their own, Agang Mogotsi’s side slumping to a meek defeat that leaves them precariously placed above the drop zone on goal difference.
The fight for survival does not get any easier for Wanderers, who host title-chasing Township Rollers on Saturday. Having held Popa to a 0-0 draw when the two teams met back in December, Morupule will be wary of a Blues’ backlash.
Angels, meanwhile, travel to Otse to take on Police XI in another titanic clash at the foot of table. Seeking backto-back wins for the first time this season, if they can beat the Cops, Angels could rise to 8th in the log; lose, and they could find themselves back in the bottom three – that’s how tight the league is!