All Stars’ hustle just not good enough

CAPE TOWN All Stars gave their all in a courageous firsthalf effort, but, in the end, Wits’ class and quality proved to be far too much for the NFD side.

Wits, the PSL log leaders, eventually ran out comfortable 2-0 winners over the plucky but outgunned All Stars in a Nedbank Cup last 32 tie at Athlone Stadium last night.

For the Capetonians, they can hold their heads high, especially for their first-half performance, and they can take the positives from it into the rest of their NFD campaign.

For Wits, despite having a crunch Caf Champions League fixture against Egyptian giants Al Ahly at the weekend (they lost the first leg 1-0 in Egypt last weekend), coach Gavin Hunt hauled out the big guns for the tie against All Stars. It was a clear indication that the Clever Boys weren’t about to disrespect the opposition or the event.

Captain Thulani Hlatshwayo, goalkeeper Darren Keet, Eleazar Rodgers, Sfiso Hlanti, Ben Motshwari and Elias Pelembe, they were all in, there was to be no rest ahead of the weekend.

Hunt wanted a strong selection, and that was what he sent on to the Athlone field.

And, as expected, Wits hogged possession and had the NFD side under pressure from the opening whistle. But, in football, having the ball means nothing unless a team is allowed to do what it wants. All Stars were in no mood to just play second fiddle to the their more illustrious top-flight opponents.

The Capetonians came armed with a smothering game plan that involved putting the man in possession under enormous pressure. They made things tight and compact in midfield and never allowed Wits to play through their lines.

Center-back Gerald Modisane policed Rodgers effectively, Mulungisi Mbunjane scrapped it out in central midfield against the Joburg team’s Motshwari and Xola Mlambo, while Tumi Ngwepe, just a slip of a lad, caused the robust, powerful Wits defenders a headache with his energetic movement.

There weren’t all that many scoring opportunities in the opening half, except for Mogakolodi Ngele (pictured) stabbing one wide for Wits, and Ngwepe having an effort saved by Clever Boys goalkeeper Keet.

As the game progressed, and the more Wits struggled to break them down, All Stars appeared to grow in confidence and belief. They hustled, harried, harassed and kept on running and working tirelessly, never allowing Wits to get into any sort of rhythm or build up any measure of comfort.

But the difference between the NFD and the PSL is the intensity of focus and error. In short, top-flight teams are able to keep concentrated longer and they make fewer errors. In the PSL, mistakes are punished, and All Stars found this out the hard way. After an admirable first-half effort, they lost focus two minutes into the second half, probably for the first time in the game, and they paid the price. After a goalmouth scramble, the ball fell loose and Ngele was able to pounce, poke the ball home from close in, and put the Clever Boys into the lead.

And that was it, Wits had their noses in front, and they were able to play with more freedom and confidence. As such, it was no surprise when they increased their lead, again Ngele was the scorer, this time a beautifully worked curling shot that nestled low into the corner of the net.

All Stars, to their credit, never let their heads drop. They kept trying, kept fighting, but, really, the damage had already been done. Wits were able to take their foot off the pedal and shift into cruise mode for the rest of the match.