Ajax made to dig deep

AFTER an eight-game winless run, Ajax Cape Town finally registered their first win in 2017 when they edged out Highlands Park 1-0 at the Cape Town Stadium last night.

The Capetonians had to dig deep in the second half, though, to keep a spirited Highlands at bay.

It was, however, clear to see why these two sides are struggling as they produced a football game that wasn’t always very pleasing to the eye. But for a truly splendid goal from Ajax winger Mark Mayambela, this was a bit of a forgettable occasion.

In the opening 45 minutes, Ajax dominated possession and territory, while Highlands sat back in defence, with numbers behind the ball. With this the approach, Ajax, of course, needed to be very careful when they lost the ball because the visitors from Tembisa were always dangerous on the counter.

Ajax found it difficult to play their way through the congested defensive lines of Highlands and they were going to need something special, something different, to find a way to goal.

And that was exactly what they got in the 10th minute when, after a stunning piece of link-up play and inter-passing, Mayambela found himself clean through on goal and the finish was a stunning one indeed.

With Highlands goalkeeper Tapuwa Kapini rushing out to make things difficult for Mayambela, the tricky Ajax attacker produced a deft, audacious chip to leave the keeper stranded and give the Urban Warriors a 1-0 lead.

As the game meandered along, there was no change to proceedings. Ajax, despite all their possession, never really threatened the opposition.