Lebusa steps up right at the end for desperate Urban Warriors
COURAGEOUS captain Mosa Lebusa popped up with a late, late winning goal to hand Ajax Cape Town a 1-0 win over Baroka FC at Athlone Stadium yesterday.
The result takes the Cape side on to 31 points and they move to third from bottom on the PSL standings. They still have to play Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs.
Second from bottom SuperSport United are on 29 points, but have three games to play. It is still very tight in the basement of the league.
The opening 45 minutes, to be brutally honest, was a painful exercise in frustration. The quality was poor, the technical skills amateurish and there was just one clear shot on goal: when Ajax’s Yannick Zakri’s looping header was tipped over by Baroka goalkeeper Ayanda Dlamini. For the rest, it was just so disappointing.
You would think that, especially considering Ajax’s precarious position, they would come out with purpose and commitment. But, in truth, they were just so flat. Yes, they tried to get going, but there was no rhythm to their game. They lacked the intensity required of a team desperate for points. More than that, the nervousness wrought by their situation was palpably evident as everything they did was hurried. As a result, they gave the ball away far too often, which made for a scrappy, disjointed first half.
In the second half, Baroka sat back deep in their own half and this allowed Ajax to dominate possession and territory. With the Cape side having earlier made two substitutions in taking off two defensive players – Tercious Malepe and Isaac Nhlapo for attackers Toriq Losper and Sam Julies, they went for broke in search of a goal. But breaking down Baroka proved to be a really difficult task. The team from Polokwane was superbly organised in defence and they never allowed Ajax the space to play between their lines – and they were always threatening on the counter too.
With 20 minutes to go, play started to open up and, finally, Ajax managed to get through the tight Baroka defence. Julies had an inviting opportunity when he stabbed an effort from right in front of goal – it looked to be going in, but Dlamini reacted brilliantly with a last-ditch acrobatic save to deny the substitute.
Late substitute Sirgio Kammies could then have sealed it for Ajax, but the youngster’s inexperience showed as he scuffed his shot from close in and the ball trickled wide.
With time running out, the Urban Warriors were in desperate need of a hero – and they found one in skipper Lebusa, who headed in seconds from the end to register a muchneeded victory.
Meanwhile, Mazola Molefe reports that a final decision on whether striker Tendai Ndoro broke the rules when he signed for Ajax three months ago now rests with Safa.
It’s back to square one after advocate Nazeer Cassim had initially ruled that the PSL’s Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) had no jurisdiction to decide on the striker’s eligibility.
Fifa do not allow for players to play for more than two clubs in a single season, although they can be registered with the understanding that they will play in the next campaign.
Ajax seem to have misinterpreted these rules and face the possibility of being docked points for the games Ndoro played, although it is unclear which ones as he featured in a total of seven. In some of the matches, Ndoro was used on the back of the ruling by the DRC that he can play, and Orlando Pirates, Polokwane City and SuperSport United played Ajax under protest.
The Johannesburg High Court yesterday dismissed Ajax’s application to review the initial decision by advocate Cassim, which ruled that the DRC had no authority to decide Ndoro’s eligibility to play. Safa will now have to set aside a mediation date in the unlikely event that Cassim is not appointed arbitrator. Other PSL results Bloem Celtic 0 Chippa 0 Golden Arrows 3 Kaizer Chiefs 1