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Celtic pile on Cosmos' woes

Johannesburg - Bloemfontein Celtic fought back from an early deficit to run rampant in the second half as they secured a 3-1 win over Premiership strugglers Jomo Cosmos in Bloemfontein on Wednesday night.

Celtic held the cards for the first 15 minutes, and Kgotso Moleko's early effort was kept out by Cosmos goalkeeper Avril Phali.

The visitors hit back, though, as they gained momentum, and Lebogang Pila took a thunderous shot in the 18th minute which was well saved by Celtic keeper Patrick Tignyemb.

Phenyo Mongala was gifted a chance by Clifford Mulenga midway through the first half, but he shot over the bar as Celtic struggled to find the breakthrough.

Cosmos took advantage on the counter-attack, and three minutes later Siyabonga Nhlapo found the back of the net from the edge of the area to put the visitors ahead.

Mulenga fired an effort wide to the left in the dying stages of the opening stanza, and Cosmos held a 1-0 lead at the break.

Celtic pushed forward again in the second half, increasing the pressure on the Cosmos defence, and Mulenga came close in the 56th minute but Phali produced a stunning save.

The hosts were eventually rewarded with half an hour left when Letladi Madubanya fired in the equaliser from close range.

Before Cosmos could settle, Celtic struck again two minutes later as Samson Mofokeng was set up by Mulenga to give the home side the lead.

With 11 minutes left, Phenyo Mongala scored Celtic's third as they secured a comfortable victory to settle in sixth place in the standings.

Cosmos, meanwhile, continued flailing in last place as the only team in the top-flight competition without a win.

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