SuperSport United (1) 2
(Alexander 36, Brockie 68pen)
Polokwane City (1) 1
(Ramagalela 6)
PRETORIA: SuperSport United jumped to the summit of the Premiership after beating Polokwane City here on Wednesday night.
They top the table with a better goal difference (14) to both Wits and Cape Town City on 25 points.
Their win also saw them extend their unbeaten run in the league to 13 games so far in the first round.
In the first period in Atteridgeville on Wednesday, SuperSport struggled to connect in the attacking third. Polokwane’s defensive line made it almost impossible for the home side to break them down.
Reneilwe Letsholonyane could not make his renowned searching passes up front. Both Aubrey Modiba and Thabo Mnyamane could not infiltrate their opposition on the wings either as Polokwane had them on lockdown.
Rise and Shine, on the other hand, enjoyed much freedom moving forward. They created plenty of chances. They were too quick for their opponents and could have scored more than their lone goal had it not been for their poor finishing.
Just under 10 minutes into the game, Rodney Ramagalela scored a beauty of a goal, following a brilliant cross on the near side by Sipho Jembula. The former Mamelodi Sundowns centre forward curled in a stunning shot with the inside of his right foot, to beat Reyaad Pieterse, who stood no chance between the sticks.
Just nine minutes before the break, Matsatsantsa a Pitori found a way to break their opponents’ defensive line when Cole Alexander broke loose with a darting run on the far side.
The attacking midfielder produced a superb strike against his former side from what looked like a cross for his fellow teammates who were waiting for the ball inside the box. The wind, which was strong in the first stanza, played a massive role in the ball curling its way into the back of the net.
In the second period, SuperSport took control of the game and looked much better in the attacking third, as compared to their performance in the first period. Their runs on and off the ball were quite exceptional, making it difficult for their opponents to monitor their every move this time around.
In the 68th minute, Jeremy Brockie, who had come for Kingston Nkhatha at the beginning of the second half, converted a penalty which saw them grab all three points after Letsholonyane was brought down inside the box by Thabang Klaas with a tackle from behind.