In-form City ease past Leopards

CAPE TOWN City continued their winning momentum with a 3-1 win over Black Leopards at the Cape Town Stadium yesterday afternoon.

After winning the MTN8 in September, the Capetonians experienced a bit of a dip in form, but they’ve turned it around in the last two games. Two weeks ago, they dispatched of AmaZulu 3-0 and, on Sunday, they eased past a plucky Leopards team.

City are gradually getting their groove back. At times, in the match against Leopards, they played some really smart passing football. The only problem at the moment is that they are not doing it consistently.

Leopards are an awkward side to face. They are a tough, uncompromising bunch and not afraid to get stuck in.

They are organised and very compact in the way they set up, which makes them very difficult to break down. As such, a team needs a footballer capable of going past opponents; in this way, it opens things up and creates scoring opportunities.

City had such a player in Surprise Ralani – and he was at the heart of everything the Cape side did offensively.

A fantastic, jinking run from Ralani fashioned the opening for Ayanda Patosi to finish emphatically and give City a 1-0 lead in the eighth minute. Ralani then continued to terrorise the Leopards defence, setting up another two chances for Patosi, but the forward squandered both.

Unfortunately, City’s dominance, inspired by Ralani’s superb wing play, led to a lapse in concentration at the back.

Leopards are a team always dangerous on the counter – and, on one such occasion, when the Citizens’ defence nodded off to sleep, Mwape Musonda took full advantage by dashing through, rounding Dutch goalkeeper Peter Leeuwenburgh, to level the scores at 1-1.

City, though, continued to press on and it was no surprise when they took the lead again five minutes before half-time. This time, it was a goal made in football heaven, involving a glorious passing movement, featuring a number of players – and, with classic onetouch football, they carved open the Leopards defence, leaving Ugandan wing Allan Kateregga with a simple tap-in.

City took the foot off the pedal in the closing stages and it made for a rather tight finish to a game the Citizens should have put to bed in the first half already. But Siphelele Mthembu headed in five minutes before the close, to make it 3-1, and the three points were safe. The victory will see City up to a midtable position on the PSL.