Durban — Helped by a horror performance from AmaZulu goalkeeper Veli Mothwa, SuperSport United recorded a comfortable 2-0 win over Usuthu at the Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville on Saturday night.
SuperSport went ahead in the 34th minute through Jesse Donn. The 22-year-old struck home an opportunist effort following a corner which went neatly into the net, giving Usuthu goalkeeper Veli Mothwa no chance of saving.
Matsatsantsa went on to double their advantage in the 55th minute, helped by a howler from out of form AmaZulu goalkeeper Mothwa. A poor distributed pass led to the ball being played straight back to Ikraam Rayners. Sensing that Mothwa was off his line, Rayners calmly slotted home.
Veli Mothwa will not want to see this again! 👀
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) March 5, 2022
An intelligent finish by Iqraam Rayners 🎯
📺 Stream live: https://t.co/0BMWdeEYT3 pic.twitter.com/9wvlHSIsyb
AmaZulu did have their fair share of opportunities in the first half as Andre de Jongh and Bongi Ntuli both hit the woodwork.
Usuthu ended up getting a golden opportunity to equalize in the 52nd minute as they were awarded a penalty after referee Abongile Tom penalized Jamie Webber for a foul in the area. Ntuli struck a poor penalty which was easily saved by SuperSport goalie Williams.
The early minutes of the second half looked like the game could be headed for a game of two halves, a common theme in the Premiership this season. However, Usuthu’s early second half momentum died off moments after the penalty miss as Rayners doubled the advantage for the home side.
The score was actually not a true reflection of the state of affairs on the field as it was actually AmaZulu who dominated in terms of possession and chances created but they just did not find the back of the net.
To add insult to injury for Usuthu, defender Tapelo Xoki was sent off in second half stoppage time after receiving his second yellow card in the game.
The result means that SuperSport United back into the top eight.
AmaZulu meanwhile now face a bit of a battle to finish in the top eight. They will need to improve their consistency in the final few games of the season to salvage some pride in what has been a frustrating domestic league season for them.
AmaZulu will next be in action next week Saturday against ES Setif in a CAF Champions League game at the Stade du 5 Juillet in Algeria. SuperSport United will also be in action next Saturday in a Nedbank Cup Round of 16 game against Platinum City Rovers.
IOL Sport