Publications
Partners
Rustenburg - SuperSport United huffed and puffed but they finally blew Platinum Stars down winning 1-0 at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Wednesday night to move three points closer to winning their third successive Absa Premier League title.
It was not pretty football, but after a dull first half United finally got their act together thanks to a 73rd minute goal from Brent Carelse.
The fact that United’s only challengers Mamelodi Sundown's match against Moroka Swallows was abandoned with the Birds leading 2-0 due to a power failure at the Super Stadium in Atteridgeville also on Wednesday, will not worry United coach Gavin Hunt too much. With two matches to play the defending champions need three points to secure a hat-trick of league titles.
United head the standings with 57 points five more than second placed Downs who now have that match against the Birds in hand.
There was little to write home or get excited about in a tame opening 45 minutes in which neither side was prepared to take risks and open up the match.
As a result there was no goal-mouth incidents and neither goalkeeper, United’s Emille Baron or Stars Tapuwa Kapini, was tested in a dull 45 minutes.
United played as though they were under pressure with their third PSL championship title on the horizon. They failed badly in attack where Siyabonga Nkosi and Mozambique international Dario Monteiro failed to ignite. Nkosi, the former Bafana Bafana midfielder, struggled in attack and lacked killer instinct. However, Nkosi did create SuperSport’s only chance in the first half when he latched onto a well-placed cross from Ricardo Katza and watched in agony as his third-minute shot bounced off the upright.
So ineffective were both Nkosi and Monteiro that coach Gavin Hunt replaced both of them at halftime with Brain Umony and Thabo Mongalo. Stars showed a big improvement on their 3-0 home loss to Free State Stars last weekend and at times had the nervous United defence under pressure, but they also failed to get a decent shot on target.
Star's only shot at goal at goal was a miss from Bradley Grobler in the 16th minute as the home side opted to hit the champions and log elders on the counter attack.
Grobler, the pick of the Stars player,s showed how dangerous he can be when the 22-year-old made a great run inside the United penalty area in the 50t hminute. but his final shot which went wide let him down.
United managed to get out of neutral and Umony forced Kapini to tip his shot over the crossbar in the 66th minute.
Then came the breakthrough when Carelse showed brilliant control inside the Stars penalty area and unleashed an unbeatable left footed shot that beat Kapini and flew into the back of the net in the 71st minute.
United winger Daine Klate one of the stars of the season so far, was out of sorts on Wednesday night and tamely hit his close-range effort straight at Kapini six minutes from time. Hunt had had enough and pulled off his star winger in the final three minutes.
Grobler gave the champions a big fright when his 88th minute header shaved the crossbar. Then Stars skipper Henrico Botes came close with a 20 metre bullet in injury time as United were desperately holding onto their 1-0 lead.
But the champions showed their experience and held on for a vital victory and moved three points closer to their third successive league title.
