Staff Reporter.
SuperSport United continued their undefeated run after three games in the DStv Premiership with a 1-0 victory over Cape Town City at the TUT Stadium in Pretoria on Friday night.
An entertaining clash in Pretoria saw both teams denied by the frame of the goal and ultimately it took Etiosa Ighodaro’s 62nd-minute goal to settle matters.
Matsatsantsa leapfrogged the Citizens into second place, having maintained their unbeaten start to the new campaign, with Eric Tinkler’s side managing to win their opening two matches.
City made a bright start and threatened to open the scoring after just four minutes when Jo Paciencia received the ball from Brice Ambina inside the area and forced Ricardo Goss into a good save.
But SuperSport started to get a foothold on proceedings as they went on to create numerous, with Ighodaro firing just wide of the right post with a shot on the turn in the 12th minute before Kegan Johannes cleared the crossbar with a strike from distance midway through the first half.
Shandre Cambell tested Darren Keet with a long-range effort on 25 minutes and the woodwork came to the visitors’ rescue six minutes later when Ighodaro thumped a header against the bar from Gamphani Lungu’s cross.
Lungu then flashed a shot narrowly wide of the near post from inside the box on the left in the 35th minute and Ighodaro was unable to beat Keet moments later after being sent clean through on goal.
The final action of the half saw Tshegofatso Nyama line up a shot from range that was comfortably saved by Goss in the 41st minute and Juan Camilo Zapata dragged one wide of the far post from inside the box on the right five minutes after the restart.
Once again the hosts would carve out the majority of the chances in the second half though, as Siphesihle Ndlovu and Grant Margeman both failed to hit the target with their respective efforts from range before the hour mark.
Matsatsantsa eventually made the breakthrough on 62 minutes when Keet saved Margeman’s initial shot from inside the area and Ighodaro reacted quickest to slot home the rebound.
Keet was called into action again three minutes later to deny Lyle Lakay from range and Goss then pulled off two superb saves in the space of three minutes to prevent Taahir Goedeman and Khanyisa Mayo from equalising.
Darwin Gonzalez was just inches away from restoring parity on 75 minutes as he cracked a shot against the right post from inside the box, while back up the other end Lakay failed to beat Keet from close range after being picked out by Kegan Johannes.
The Citizens continued to push for the equaliser in the closing stages, but Thami Mkhize failed to trouble Goss with a header from an 83rd-minute corner and got under his shot from outside the area on 86 minutes as SuperSport held on for all three points.
Meanwhile Stellenbosch FC enjoyed a fruitful trip to Harry Gwala Stadium where they emerged as 3-1 winners over hosts Royal AM.