Chippa savour late equaliser

Rakhale strike adds to relegation woes of SuperSport

CHIPPA United were heading to drop maximum points against SuperSport United until Thabo Rakhale pounced late to save the day and level matters at 1-1 in their Premier Soccer League (PSL) clash at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdantsane at the weekend.

Chippa United had trailed SuperSport the entire match after Thabo Mnyamane gave the Pretoria outfit hope of full points nine minutes into the game.

Chippa coach Vladislav Heric was a relieved man at the post-match interview as he notched up yet another draw.

“I have to take that one point, because we were one goal down and there was a penalty against us which could have ended the game,” the Serb said.

“At the end of the day if you score the equalising goal in the last minute, you must take the point,” he said.

“The good thing is my players gave their best – because we had a difficult trip to Bloemfontein and they were exhausted.

“For instance, you could look at Rakhale, he was struggling a bit – and he scored in the second half – and Paseka [Mako] also struggled a bit.”

Heric said he hated playing to draws at home and that his mandate from next season – if he was still with the Chilli Boys – was that his players had to win all home games.

“In general, I don’t like to draw at home – at home you must win.

“No excuses, because if you win all matches at home you have 45 points.

“And then if you don’t win, the next game you play away you have to recover your points. So if we had put together 45 points at home this season – you know where we could have been by now.

“But the players tried to stick to the game plan – and that’s very good and at this point. I’m happy with my players.”

He said having a two-week break before playing their last PSL game – against Polokwane City – could kill the momentum of his players.

“It is not on – and nobody knows why we are not playing this coming weekend, because people are fighting relegation.

“Some teams are fighting for top eight. It’s game on for relegation – and that’s not a joke.

“But I’ll refresh my players because they are definitely tired,” he said.

SuperSport United caretaker coach Kaitano Tembo said his charges created better chances than the hosts – but a win was not meant to be.

“We put them on transition a couple of times – and with a little bit of luck and good decision-making and choosing the right options, we could have scored more goals.

“And I think we deserved to win the game, because we played very well. I think we played more forward, while they played sideways.”

Tembo said nothing short of a win would suffice when they play their last fixture – against Baroka FC – at home.

“We need to win that game for us to survive [relegation].

“I think it’s important to work on our decision-making in the final third.

“Also, the quality of the passes and options that we choose – that’s what leads to goals. I think today we could have done much better in that regard,” Tembo said.