Lessons learned as NRB ‘downed’
WHEN the score line reads 0-4 and the best player is the losing side’s goalkeeper, the story of Richards Bay FC’s exit from the Nedbank Cup is obvious.
The fact is that although the NRB boys had their fair amount of shots – few on target - Mamelodi Sundowns were hardly stretched as they dominated the midfield with an abundance of possession and a sparkling short passing game that eventually wore down their opponents.
Knowing the Brazilians like to build up from the back, Richards Bay started with a high press that for the first quarter seemed to do the trick as chances were missed by Sibonginhlanhla Mthethwa, Somila Ntsundwana and Tshepo Mabua.
Pitso Dladla’s men needed an early goal to disrupt Sundowns’ game plan but it went the other way in the 16th minute as Malcolm Jacobs executed a fine save that unfortunately went straight into the path of Bradley Ralani, who tucked the rebound home off the desperate foot of defender Thulani Ndlela.
Mngomezulu and Mthethwa both failed with off-target long shots, leaving the deficit at a single goal at the break.
If Richards Bay were to have any way back, they needed to score early in the second stanza and they came close when a long throw-in from Ncanana flew across the goalmouth with no takers.
There were a few more NRB opportunities on the counter in the second half but as Sundowns piled on the pressure, things were getting more and more challenging for goalkeeper Malcom Jacobs, who pulled off a number of outstanding saves but could do very little against an unending barrage of shots.
Failure to deal with crosses led to three more goals as Richards Bay faded and folded to an eventual 0-4 result, with goals coming from Rushine de Reuck, Pavol Safranco and Peter Shalulile.
Disappointingly, three of them were carbon copy goals, coming from crosses from the right.
Coach Pitso Dladla was philosophical after the defeat, saying many lessons had been learned against outstanding opponents.
But Richards Bay needn’t feel too embarrassed or demotivated. After all, Sundowns are the runaway leaders in the PSL and no team has been able to deal with their abundance of talent.
In any event, the Nedbank Cup was never first prize for Richards Bay, and it is perhaps good that this distraction is over.
They need to focus on winning the GladAfrica Championship, starting with the vital 19 February fixture against JDR Stars.