Lack of focus hurts Cosmos
MOMENTARY LAPSE IN CONCENTRATION, POOR COMMUNICATION COST US THE GAME Leaders Thanda Royal Zulu held by AmaZulu.
Jomo Cosmos defender Denzil Hoaseb has blamed a brief loss of focus for their shock defeat by Real Kings in a National First Division match on Sunday.
The 30-year-old Namibian said the defeat was damaging to Ezenkosi’s promotion hopes and should be taken as a lesson going forward. Kings beat Jomo Sono’s team 1-0, with former Polokwane City and AmaZulu striker Siphesihle Nzimande landing the killer blow in referee’s optional time.
“It was a momentary lapse in concentration and poor communication that cost us the game,” Haoseb said on the club website.
“We went into the match intent on improving our league position, and even though we had our moments, it wasn’t our day.”
Cosmos remain fifth in the NFD, having collected 26 points from 18 games and trail leaders Thanda Royal Zulu by 14 points. The race for promotion is, however, far from over and Hoaseb believes they have what it takes to finish in the top three.
Cosmos have Mbombela United as their next opponents, with the match set for their new home at Tsakane Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
“Winning is all about belief and we’ve got bags of that. We’ve also got players who are capable of realising this objective. All we need to do is remain consistent by winning our remaining matches. It’s not going to be easy but we’ve got to believe in ourselves,” he said.
Thanda’s lead was cut to 10 points on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw by KwaZulu-Natal rivals AmaZulu. Usuthu put up a gallant performance to come back from 2-0 down and secure a point and they could have bagged a remarkable win but for two goals that were disallowed.
“The first half was a bit cagey because both teams were a bit cautious. Thanda came back in the second half and made it hard for us by scoring two goals,” Usuthu coach Joey Antipas said after the match.
“I give credit to the boys for the fightback, and we almost stole it. We had two goals that were disallowed, especially Mabhudi Khenyeza’s goal. He came from deep and pounced on the ball to score a genuine goal with a player in front of him.”