Slap-dash Wits sunk by Nyundu
HUNT’S MEN CRASH TO THEIR FOURTH LOSS This game was a yawn-a-minute affair in Bloemfontein.
Bidvest Wits continue to make a mess of their defence of the Absa Premiership title, the latest setback coming in a 1-0 defeat at Bloemfontein Celtic yesterday afternoon.
Striker Roggert Nyundu provided a scrappy game’s decisive moment in the 75th minute, as a generally solid Wits back four was caught square, and Deon Hotto broke to cross for Nyundu, who tapped gleefully home.
For Wits it was a sucker punch after they had just started to provide more of an attacking threat, with substitutes Kabomelo Kodisang and Daylon Claasen brightening up a dull affair.
Gavin Hunt’s side lost just six league games in the whole of last season, but have already lost four from seven in the new campaign, and continue to sit second-from-bottom in the Premiership.
“We were totally on top,” Hunt told SABC television after the game, but if Wits did dominate much of the play, they also failed to create too many clear threats to Patrick Tignyemb’s goal.
Wits’ best chance came when Reeve Frosler’s first-half cross found Amr Gamal, but the Egyptian could only head onto the roof of the net. After Nyundu’s strike, Kodisang drew a good save from Tignyemb at his near post, but in the end this is another bitter blow for Wits, after hope had been somewhat restored with the win at home to Orlando Pirates.
Celtic also failed to impress in what was, in truth, a dreadful game, but Veselin Jelusic’s side took their chance when it mattered, picking up their first home win of the season.
Wits went into a second game in a row without their captain Thulani Hlatshwayo, whose knee injury appears likely to also rule him out of Bafana Bafana’s 2018 World Cup qualifier against Burkina Faso this weekend.
Steven Pienaar was also not in the Wits squad, while Granwald Scott and Gabadinho Mhango came into the starting line-up in place of Ben Motshwari and James Keene.
Gamal showed some nice touches in the opening half, and Frosler got some joy getting down the Celtic right, but mostly there was little to excite from either side. The closest Celtic came to scoring in the first half was a header from Nyundu that was easily grabbed by Moeneeb Josephs.