Brilliant comeback by the Rich Boyz
RICHARDS Bay FC bounced back from a wretched first half to strike twice and score an emphatic 2-1 win over AmaZulu at the King Zwelithini Stadium on Tuesday night.
It was a first half to forget, especially for front man Khuda Myaba.
It seems like he left his judgement, his shooting boots, his GPS and his footballing instincts in the change room.
He was put through on three occasions by Sanele Barns but failed dismally to make any meaningful contact on target.
Barns had been having his normal solid game, but with his target man off form and the reliable Somila Ntsundwana being held in check in the left side of attack, the prospects of scoring looked slim.
To make matters worse, the otherwise secure defence was caught napping in the 35th minute and the ball fell kindly at the feet of Augustine Mulenga, whose weak shot was cleared into his own goal by Tertius Malepe (0-1).
Coach Ronnie Gabriel, standing in for Vusumuzi Vilakazi, sorted out matters during the break, bringing on the pace and energy of youngsters Yanela Mbuthuma and Thulani Gumede for Myaba and Ntsundwana.
This made an immediate difference but it wasn’t until Justice Figuareido entered the fray in the 66th minute that things swung the Rich Boyz’s way.
Barely on the field for two minutes, the eSwatini striker calmly and powerfully rifled home a shot that would have beaten any keeper in the world (1-1).
NRB were turning on the gas now and after mounting repeated attacks, man of the match Sanele Barns got on the end of superb Gumede cross to brilliantly head the ball into the far corner with precision and power.
With three points in the bag to open up an eight point lead over Cape Town Spurs, they are now also only three points behind Moroka Swallows and have every chance of avoiding a promotion-relegation playoff at the end of the regular season.