Wits ride their luck to stay at the top
SOLINAS: WE DIDN’T EXPLOIT THE SPACE THEY GAVE US
Gavin Hunt and his table-topping Bidvest Wits won their 11th point on the road in this season’s Absa Premiership with a 1-1 draw at Lucas Moripe Stadium home of defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns yesterday.
Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane was incensed at the end of the match as Wits goalkeeper Darren Keet appeared to handle Hlompho Kekana’s attempted chip outside the penalty area and the match officials had missiles thrown at them after the match.
The whole of the first half was a cagey affair which only produced two highlights worth mentioning. First it was Wits striker Simon Murray, whose 29th-minute header looked goalbound, but Denis Onyango palmed the ball over the bar. At the opposite end, Toni Silva went one-on-one with Keet and dispatched a shot that the Bafana Bafana international saved with his foot.
Silva was substituted soon afterwards with Phakamani Mahlambi coming on.
Onyango was called into action again by Murray just after the start of the second half and the Ugandan international again came out on top as he parried the Scot’s attempt.
Kekana benefited from a brilliant Gaston Sirino solo run as the Uruguayan midfielder ran into a brick wall and could not create space to shoot. He then laid the ball off for Kekana, who made no mistake and unleashed one from his top drawer to open his 2018/19 account.
Coach Hunt made a double switch on the hour mark and brought on Mxolisi Machupu and former Sundowns captain Vuyo Mere, replacing Lehlohonolo Majoro and Cole Alexander.
Just when the Masandawana faithful were full of song and dance in the stands, the mood turned sombre when they were silenced by a wonderful Keegan Ritchie freekick in the 67th minute to level matters.
The Downs fans chanted Themba Zwane’s name, calling for Mosimane to unleash the midfield wizard. He eventually came on, but did very little to tilt the game in his side’s favour.
Kaizer Chiefs coach Giovanni Solinas called their closeddoors Absa Premiership match at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban a funeral, but he probably did not expect his team to be buried as Polokwane City came out smiling and with the full points after a battling 1-0 victory.
City took the lead on Saturday through Vusumusi Mngomezulu’s 45th-minute cracker from long range and Amakhosi were unable to mount a comeback.
Playing without any fans in the stadium, Solinas had anticipated it would be difficult for his team as their supporters give them a massive boost. But the Italian refused to use that as an excuse for the defeat.
“No excuses,” he said. “I will not make the lack of supporters an excuse. We didn’t lose the game because there were no supporters. It was not an easy game.
“We didn’t exploit the space they gave us behind their defence in the first half. We performed better in the second half. They got one chance and used it,” he added.
Solinas lamented his side’s impotency up front but is adamant the goals will flow again. It was a second successive game in whichthe Glamour Boys had failed to score following the goalless draw at Highlands Park last week.
“Sometimes it happens in football. I am sure the team will continue to score because we play attacking football and we create chances. It is a pity we have lost just before the Fifa break. I was hoping we would go into the break with our morale high. But we have to move on.”
When it was put to him that a club keen on winning the league does not lose or draw against unfancied opponents like Highlands and Polokwane, Solinas said that did not hold water as there were no easy games.
“Highlands and Polokwane are good teams. Highlands got a result against (Mamelodi) Sundowns away, they got a result at Orlando against Pirates and also against us. Polokwane beat Wits with 10 men. Nothing is easy in this league,” said Solinas.
He said the defeat may just prove to be a good lesson for his team who had a marvellous run last month, winning three out of three matches they played in the Premiership.
“This is a lesson. We need to understand because we will play a lot of games like this – games where teams will stay back and wait to counter-attack.”