Maritzburg thump Cosmos

Durban - Maritzburg United picked up their first win in the Absa Premiership since September with a 3-1 victory over Jomo Cosmos at the Harry Gwala Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Goals from foreign trio Mor Diouf, Felix Obada and Prince Olomu ensured the Team of Choice snapped a six-game winless run in the league. Cosmos, for whom Elhadji Samb scored a consolation goal, remain bottom of the log.

After a strong start for Cosmos in which striker Siyabonga Nontshinga looked as if he would be a central figure, Maritzburg gradually took hold of the game and began to dial up the pressure on their bottom-of-the-log visitors.

Cosmos needed goalkeeper Avril Phali to make a handful of good saves to deny the likes of Diyo Sibisi, Michael Morton and Mor Diouf, while the woodwork also came to the visitors’ rescue on a couple of occasions as the Team of Choice desperately sought to end a goalless streak in the league that had stretched for over 400 minutes.

Finally, just a couple of minutes before the half time break, Maritzburg surged ahead. Senegalese defender Mor Diouf demonstrated his aerial prowess with a towering header from a corner kick to put the home side 1-0 up.

After a fairly uneventful first 20 minutes of the second half United doubled their advantage, with winger Obada scoring from a long range shot that took a big deflection off Cosmos defender Ofusu Appiah and cruelly wrong-footed Phali.

Cosmos pulled a goal back in the 78^th minute when Elhadji Samb crashed home a shot after good set-up play by substitute Alton Meiring, but any hopes they had of a comeback were soon snuffed out by Prince Olomu, who finished neatly past the advancing Phali to make it 3-1 with 10 minutes to play.