Ajax keep a clean sheet for vital win

Thabo Mosadi’s goal gave Ajax Cape Town a much-needed reprieve from relegation worries as the Urban Warriors beat in-form Chippa United.

Ajax got off the foot of the table after Teboho Moloi’s team was reduced to nine men after defender Zetha Macheke and goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi were shown red cards in the 42nd and 90th minutes respectively for fouls on Mosadi.

Ajax were forced to host Chippa here after Cape Town stadiums became unavailable, desperate for three points as they had 10 points at the bottom of the Absa Premiership log after 12 matches in which they had just two victories and four draws.

With this win Ajax moved to 13th but this could be temporary if next weekend's final round of this year's league fixtures don’t go their way.

Ajax will visit Kaizer Chiefs at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.

With the number of chances they created in the first half Ajax should have gone into the break with a clear advantage over the Chilli Boys who were slow off the mark by their recent standards that saw them starting this match in second behind Mamelodi Sundowns.

Ajax though failed to take advantage of their numbers in the second half with their strikers not taking their chances.

Mark Mayambela, who created Chippa’s winning goal against Kaizer Chiefs on Wednesday night was not buzzing as usual. Instead it was Mosadi and Bantu Mzwakali who tested Daniel Akpeyi more often in Chippa’s goal.

The suspension of Chippa's in-form at-

Ajax were desperate to get the three points as they were bottom

tacking midfielder Abel Mabaso — the scorer against Chiefs — and his team being reduced to 10 men for the better part of the game didn’t help Moloi keep his 11-match unbeaten league run.

The Chilli Boys should, however, fancy their chances of cementing their position near the top of the table when they host Polokwane City in East London on Saturday.

Ajax, on the other hand, will have to improve if they are to stay away from the relegation zone by beating Chiefs in Durban.

Stanley Menzo, the Ajax mentor, will have to sharpen the attack of his team while also improving his defence, which gave a lot of space and chances to a Chippa side that played with reduced numbers for the most of this game.