Arrows rally to pierce wasteful Celtic

BLOEMFONTEIN: Golden Arrows staged a remarkable rally to beat Bloemfontein Celtic 2-1 in an Absa Premiership clash at the Dr Molemela Stadium yesterday afternoon.

The first scoring opportunity fell to the visitors, but Lerato Lamola sent his header wide of goal. The Durban team had another chance in the 19th minute, but this time Danny Phiri shot straight at Celtic goalkeeper Patrick Tignyemb.

Celtic found the going tough against the solid and organised defensive organisation of Arrows, with the result that their first real scoring attempt came via a set-piece. It was Lyle Lakay who lined up the free-kick, just outside the penalty area, but he drilled his effort narrowly wide. A minute before half-time, it was again from a free-kick that Celtic threatened, but Lakay again missed the target.

Four minutes into the second half, though, Celtic took the lead when Alfred Ndengane’s effort was deflected into the net. Arrows, however, rallied and equalised on the hour mark through a neat header from Nkanyiso Mngwengwe.

Dumisani Zuma could then have put Celtic back into the lead, but Arrows goalkeeper Maximilian Mbaeva pulled off a great save. The hosts kept on pressing in search of a winner, but were undone with a silly error in defence and Arrows’ Wayde Jooste punished them..

Celtic tried desperately to get back on level terms in the closing stages, but to no avail. Arrows hung on to register another crucial win on the road.

Meanwhile in the NFD, Milano United coach Boebie Solomons blamed a combination of heat and travel-- induced fatigue, and individual and tactical for his side’s 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Black Leopards in Thohoyandou in the NFD.

It was Milano’s third defeat in four games, and Solomons says he is disappointed in the team’s performance for the first time since taking charge in May last year.

“In the other defeats this season we played well and lost, but on Saturday we didn’t play well,” Solomons said.

“You could see that the guys were fatigued. It was very hot and I think the travelling also took a lot out of them. It’s the furthest trip that you can make in the NFD.

“We didn’t have a lot of energy even though we are quite a fit team.”

Leopards took the lead shortly before half time and then doubled it shortly after through two goals from Sphelele Khulubuse.