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Pretoria - Bongani Zungu scored a brace as the University of Pretoria claimed their first win in five Absa Premiership outings, beating visiting coastal outfit AmaZulu 3-1 in their clash at Tuks Stadium here on Saturday evening.
Goals from Zungu and Mame Niang helped Tuks to their sixth win of the season, and inching ever closer to surviving the drop after their debut season in the country's top flight.
Tuks got off to a dismal start when goalkeeper Washington Arubi made a poor mistake in front of goal, gifting Dlamini with the ball, which the forward put into an empty net courtesy of a fortunate deflection, leaving the goalkeeper stranded and struggling to recover 11 minutes into the fixture.
Tuks replied minutes later through Zungu, who picked out a fine delivery into the box from Niang, which the youngster guided into the back of the net with a well-controlled diving header for his fourth league goal of the season.
With both sides looking lively, Niang came close 10 minutes from the break, when he picked up a miscued back-pass from AmaZulu's Kulegani Madondo - who tried to send the ball back to his goalkeeper - but the Senegalese forward could only force a solid stop from Tapuwa Kapini in goal, denying the hosts their second.
Niang was in the thick of the action three minutes later, forcing Kapini to make another save, after the tall striker hit an accurate shot at goal, but Kapini was able to make a straightforward stop, holding onto the ball in the process.
AmaZulu flew straight into the action after the interval, when Ayanda Dlamini rattled Arubi's crossbar, before half-time replacement Thokozani Mshengu headed the subsequent rebound at goal, but Arubi made it across the face of goal in time to make a desperate save to keep the scores level inside the first 60 seconds of the second period.
AmaTuks boss Steve Barker introduced Dipsy Selolwane from the bench 10 minutes later, and the coach's decision almost bore fruit when the winger got a shot on target from inside the AmaZulu area, but was thwarted by the heroics of Kapini, who palmed away the effort and watched as the ball dribbled narrowly past the left upright and out of danger.
Niang continued to threaten the visitors and after being brought down on the halfway line in the 63rd minute, Selolwane whipped in the resulting free-kick, which Niang met with his head and steered the effort past Kapini, notching up his seventh goal of the season.
Tuks refused to let up and got the third to all but secure the victory 12 minutes from time, Zungu netting his second of the night, after the forward rose above Kapini from a free-kick and nudged the ball past the shot-stopper and into an empty net.
The three points earned moves the student side to 31 points from their 24 fixtures, a point behind Moroka Swallows in eighth and 12 points clear of the relegation zone with six games remaining.
