Leopards outplay Stellenbosch to keep top-flight hopes alive

BLACK Leopards kept their top-flight hopes alive as they beat Stellenbosch FC 3-1 in a PSL Promotion/Relegation playoff fixture at the Athlone Stadium in Cape Town last night.

Leopards, now on four points from three matches, will host Baroka FC (seven points from three games) in the final playoff match at the Thohoyandou Stadium in the Limpopo Province on Saturday (3pm), with the home team needing to win by a massive three goals to gain promotion to the Absa Premiership at the expense of Baroka.

Two goals from big centre-forward Mwape Musonda within six minutes of the halftime break set the Limpopo side up for the win.

Musonda opened the scoring with a left-footed finish in the 39th minute. The same striker doubled his team’s lead on the stroke of halftime as he converted a pass from Meshack Maphangule.

The Stellenbosch goal was something out of a comedy script as Stellenbosch midfielder Petrus Shitembi booted the ball downfield to the opposition as a sportsman’s gesture after Leopards had initially kicked the ball out to allow Stellenbosch’s injured Taariq Dien to receive medical attention.

However, Shitembi’s good intentions ended up as a goal, as Leopards goalkeeper Rotshidzwa Muleka misjudged the flight of the ball and it ended up in the back of his goal net in the 65th minute.

However, the visitors soon made amends, when Mumuni Abubakar scored with a header from a corner kick by Siphelele Ntshangase in the 73rd minute.

Leopards will now be hoping that the goal that the farcical goal that they conceded against Stellenbosch, will not come back to haunt them should they beat Baroka, with the promoted side then to be decided on goal difference.