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ROLAND PUTSCHE scored the only goal of the game as Cape Town City moved to within one point of PSL leaders Mamelodi Sundown with a 1-0 victory over Platinum Stars at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Saturday night.
Putsche scored in the final 10 minutes to make it three league wins on the trot and City’s eighth of the season, but more importantly, coach Benni McCarthy and his troops closed the gap on Sundowns who suffered a shock 3-2 defeat away to Polokwane City on the same day.
Sundowns play relegation-threatened Ajax Cape Town at the Cape Town Stadium tomorrow (7.30pm kickoff). The log-leaders are on 28 points from 15 games, compared to City’s 27 from 16 matches.
Ajax will look to do themselves and City a favour by beating the Brazilians.
But that’s easier said than done of course, because the Urban Warriors aren’t exactly a side that knows how to win. A record of three wins from 15 outings is evidence enough to suggest their chances of upstaging the 2016 Caf Champions League winners are remote.
Desperation can sometimes deliver the unexpected, though, and Ajax are in a desperate situation being second-bottom on the table.
McCarthy’s boys weren’t at their best in seeing off Stars on Saturday, but they got the desired result away from home and that’s all that matters.
What was pleasing was the way City defended on a balmy night in the North West Province.
McCarthy’s back four combined to nullify potential threats with ease.
And while scoring chances for both sides were few and far between, City would finally make the breakthrough in the 82nd minute with Putsche on target from close range after being teed up by defender Edmilson Dove.
The first half was an even affair, with chances for both sides early on.
Stars’ Bongi Ntuli came close in the 10th minute when he swooped onto a defensive blunder and looked set to score with only goalkeeper Sage Stevens to beat, but the 26-year-old striker could only watch as his effort went wide.
The hosts continued to attack and Sipho Senne was presented with a golden opportunity to break the deadlock, but the forward, like so many other men tasked with putting the ball in the net, wasn’t equal to the challenge.
The men from the Mother City found their feet and at times looked threatening on attack, with Nana Akosah-Bempah, who bagged the winner for his side in their 1-0 win over Sundowns last month, calling the shots.
He did fire in a shot on target in the 21st minute that goalkeeper Dino Visser saved.
City fullback Thamsanqa Mkhize came agonisingly close six minutes after half time when he let rip with a powerful volley, only to be denied by the woodwork with Visser well beaten.
Mkhize came within inches of opening the scoring six minutes into the second half as the fullback let rip with a powerful volley that found the woodwork with Visser well beaten.
City then introduced Victor Obinna, who replaced Nana Akosah-Bempah in the 60th minute, and new signing Bradley Ralani – on for Sibusiso Masina in the 67th minute – and the pair made life a lot more difficult for Dikwena.
Ralani’s PSL debut was promising and the 30-year-old came close to a dream start when, with his first touch, he was on target from close range only to be kept out by a wellpositioned Visser.
Nigerian Obinna had a shot too that only just missed going in before City went in front.
And it was Putsche, who earned the manof-the-match award, who delivered the goods inside the box to silence the home faithful.
A third league success for the Cape side and next up for them is a trip to Bloemfontein to for a date with fellow high-flyers Free State Stars. BROTHERLY LOVE: Australia’s Mitchell Marsh, right, celebrates with his brother, Shaun Marsh, after making 100 runs against England during the fourth day of their Ashes Test in Sydney yesterday. Both brothers hit tons as the hosts took control.