Johannesburg – Skipper Carlington Nyadombo was relieved after AmaZulu bounced back from a poor run of form to bag a convincing win over Maritzburg United.
The visitors scored three goals in the second half to secure a 3-1 victory at Harry Gwala Stadium in Pietermaritzburg.
Having lost three matches in succession, the Durban outfit managed to stop the rot and cement their place in the top half of the Premiership standings.
“I think we needed it more than them,” Nyadombo said.
“These three points mean a lot to us because from where we stand, and the games we have played so far, I think we needed these three points more than any other team.”
Kurt Lentjies netted a penalty in first-half injury time to give the hosts a 1-0 lead at the interval, but Goodman Dlamini equalised shortly after the break before Bongani Ndulula scored a brace to put the result beyond doubt.
AmaZulu coach Craig Rosslee said they had expected an open match after watching Maritzburg create a multitude of opportunities in their 3-2 victory over Free State Stars on Tuesday.
“When we got the chances we had to make it count,” Rosslee said.
“The first half was pretty tight but the second half opened up a bit and we could have had a few more.
“Maybe one or two decisions in the first half could have gone our way, but nevertheless the boys showed good character to come back and win the game.”
Meanwhile, after climbing clear of the relegation zone with victories in their previous two matches, Maritzburg coach Steve Komphela was disappointed with the result.
He believed his players were still feeling the effects of their tough midweek clash.
“I don think we showed up. One wonders whether it was the match we played on Tuesday,” Komphela said.
“You could see between the two teams they were fresher and could sprint forward much better than us.
“They arrived in the first half as well. Even though we scored, one could say we scored against the run of play.
“In the second half we could see the bodies were starting to give, and you feel for the boys.”
A disheartened Lentjies called on his team-mates to pick themselves up and regain their composure.
“Honestly, I think we didn't come to the party from the first minute,” Lentjies said.
“I don't know what happened to the guys, but AmaZulu brought us back down to earth.
“We'll just have to take out the drawing board and work because we have another game (against Bloemfontein Celtic) on Wednesday.” – Sapa