Late winner pleases SuperSport’s Tembo

SuperSport United coach Kaitano Tembo has praised his side’s character during their 2-1 victory over Maritzburg United in the DStv Premiership match at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday.

The match was heading for a draw but Thatayaone Ditlhokwe headed in a late winner to hand Matsatsantsa a Pitori all three points.

“First 20 minutes, I thought we played well and we got into good areas. But after we got the goal, I thought we became a little sluggish. We were negative in our decision making,” Tembo told the club media department after the game.

“Too many back passes and that allowed the opponents to get back into the game because we were playing more into our half. In the second half we didn’t start well and I thought it was a sluggish performance from us, but I’m happy with the results. We showed the character that it is never over until the final whistle.

“It was a well-deserved three points because of the opponents we were playing against.”

Meanwhile, AmaZulu finally registered their first victory in the league following a 1-0 victory over Baroka at Kings Park on Saturday.

Despite the win, coach Benni McCarthy was not entirely pleased with his side’s performance.

“Today we picked up three points in a completely different form from what we like. It was not the best of football but we showed determination, we showed character and that we cannot just play pretty football, we can also grind [out] results,” McCarthy said.

Elsewhere, Stellenbosch continued their recent good run with a 2-1 win over Chippa United at Danie Craven Stadium.

The defeat has put more pressure on Chippa coach Gavin Hunt, with chairperson Siviwe Mpengesi known for pulling the trigger if results are not coming. The Chilli Boys have now suffered three successive defeats.

Weekend results

SuperSport 2-1 Maritzburg

Stellenbosch 2-1 Chippa

Pirates 0-2 Sundowns

AmaZulu 1-0 Baroka

Sekhukhune 1-1 Arrows.

Swallows 0-0 Cape Town City