Far from clinical
ALEXANDRA – Malandela Mighty Heroes collect maximum points from a game in which they were far from clinical in front of goals.
A goal in each half from a not so clinical Malandela Mighty Heroes enabled the home side to collect maximum points in their SAB League match against The Boys FC at the Alexandra Stadium.
Malandela, better known in local football circles as the Kaizer Chiefs of Alexandra, beat the Riverlea side 2–1.
The Alex outfit started the game like a house on fire in search of early goals that would hopefully unsettle the visitors and open them up for an avalanche of goals.
In just a little over 10 minutes of the game, Malandela’s Mahlatse Mashikinya’s thunderous shot rattled the back of the net to put his side in the driving seat.
Nkateko Pandeka, best known to his teammates as Di Maria after the Argentine international Ángel Di María, could have quickly given his side an insurance goal.
However, Pandeka failed to control the ball and give his shot the power it needed, resulting in a tame strike that The Boys keeper, Cico Franky could easily gather.
Malandela piled more pressure on the Riverlea side and Pandeka was the chief architect of this and proved himself a thorn in the flesh of The Boys, though all his efforts went to waste.
Like Pandeka, his teammate Rich Mapokgole also had his own fair share of misses and the two teams went into the half-time break separated by Mashikinya’s solitary strike.
In the second half, Malandela’s Thabang Mphahlele and Delford Makwala also had their own share of near misses that irked their coach Buti Phiri, who started barking instructions from the dugout.
The Boys’ Tshepiso Mokgosi was given an early shower following a red card for dangerous play. This spurred on Malandela to search for a second goal and it finally came through Kgotsofalo Maboea.
Soon after Maboea’s strike, The Boys skipper Kevin Rakuba pulled one back for the Riverlea side.
