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Coach praises Sekola

Bloemfontein - Free State Stars coach Kinnah Phiri praised joint top Premier League scorer Moeketsi Sekola after his team secured a priceless 3-1 victory in the relegation battle against Platinum Stars at Bethlehem's Goble Park on Saturday afternoon.

Phiri, himself a prolific scorer for Malawi with 36 goals in 30 international matches, stressed the importance of having a player in the team who can put the ball into the back of the net.

Sekola was recently selected for the Bafana Bafana squad by coach Shakes Mashaba. Sekola's two goals against Platinum Stars elevated him to the top of the Premier League scoring chart.

Languishing in second last place in the PSL log for most of the current season, the three points gained against Platinum Stars lifted Free State Stars out of the immediate danger zone.

Platinum Stars have however slipped to an alarming second from the bottom position in the log table.

Dynamic brace of goals

The defeat continued a slump for Platinum Stars, who have now won only one of their last six League matches, joining the teams with relegation concerns after building a reputation of being one of the toughest PSL teams to beat over the past two highly successful seasons.

After Platinum Stars had neutralised Togolese international midfielder Camaldine Abraw's scintillating 32nd minute opening goal for Free State Stars from a powerful angled shot from the edge of the penalty area via a precise Robert Ng'ambi header 10 minutes after halftime, Sekola made his presence felt with his dynamic brace of goals.

Sekola took advantage of a Sydney Masana pass to make the score 2-1 in the 63rd minute. He then virtually assured victory for the Free State team 12 minutes later when he burst through the Platinum Stars defence to make the score 3-1.

The victory was Free State Stars' first in four games and added to a long-standing reputation that they are a difficult team to beat for any side in the PSL at the compact Goble Park.

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