CT CITY END DROUGHT WITH AMAZULU WIN
Cape Town City’s long wait for another win in the Absa Premiership came to an end on Saturday night when they defeated AmaZulu 3-0 at Cape Town Stadium.
The Citizens’ only previous league win had come in the opening round of the season back in early August. Goals from Taariq Fielies, Siphelele Mthembu and Thabo Nodada secured a victory which takes Benni McCarthy’s side to 11th place on the log. Usuthu, meanwhile, see their winless run stretched to six matches and they remain bottom of the standings.
City claimed the lead inside the opening two minutes of the match, with defender Taariq Fielies stroking the ball home from close range after AmaZulu goalkeeper Siyabonga Mbatha spilled a free kick from Ayanda Patosi.
Usuthu responded well to going behind and began to create attacking opportunities of their own, most notably on 10 minutes when Emiliano Tade headed just over the target after meeting a cross from Sibusiso Mabaliso.
Yet City remained dangerous in attack and on 20 minutes Mbatha atoned for his earlier error when he first made a fine stop to keep out Ayanda Patosi’s low shot, before pushing away another effort on the rebound from Bradley Ralani.
However, AmaZulu’s goalkeeper was beaten again in the 33rd minute, with Siphelele Mthembu guiding the ball home from Ralani’s left-flank cross to make it 2-0 to the Cape side – a lead they held up to the halftime break.
Usuthu opted for a change at the start of the second half as they introduced Ovidy Karuru in place of Samuel Darpoh, and they created the first notable chance after the restart, with Bongi Ntuli’s 50th minute shot turned around the post for a corner kick by Peter Leeuwenburgh.
The Durban side showed some good attacking rhythm as they looked to get back into the game, but with just under 15 minutes of regulation time remaining their hopes were dashed when City midfielder Thabo Nodada fired home a shot to make it 3-0 and end the match as a content.
Both teams will be back in Absa Premiership action on November 11. Cape Town City will host Black Leopards, while AmaZulu will be at home to Polokwane City.
Cape Town City (2) 3 (Fielies 2’, Mthembu 33’, Nodada 76’)
AmaZulu 0
Cape Town City: Leeuwenburgh, Mkhize, Edmilson, Seedat, Fielies, Putsche, Nodada, Kateregga, Patosi (Modise 72’), Ralani (Links 74’), Mthembu (Norodien 78’)
AmaZulu: Mbatha, Sikhakhane (Ncobeni 57’), Mabaliso, Ouro-Akoriko, M. Gumede, Darpoh (Karuru 46’), Vilakazi, van Heerden, Sithebe, Tade, Ntuli (Khenyeza 71’)
