Cape Town - Make sure you’re at the Cape Town Stadium on Friday night – it’s shaping up to be a Mother City derby not to miss.
Neighbours Ajax Cape Town and Cape Town City warmed up for the inaugural clash between the two top-flight teams by playing out draws against their opposition on Tuesday night.
At the Cape Town Stadium, Ajax played the final 30 minutes with 10 men, but managed a 1-1 draw with Polokwane City.
At the Orlando Stadium in Soweto, City were super-impressive in a 0-0 draw with high-riding Orlando Pirates.
Now the two Cape clubs will be preparing for Friday’s much-anticipated derby. Based on on Tuesday night’s performances, City came out with the most credit as they bossed Pirates all night, while Ajax, after a good opening, allowed Polokwane back into it in the second half. In fact, Ajax had to hold on for dear life in the closing stages as the visitors from the Limpopo Province looked to snatch all three points.
In Soweto on Tuesday night, on the surface, it may have seemed that City’s main focus was on Friday’s derby, when taking into consideration that coach Eric Tinkler was prepared to rest a few players. Foreign stars Renars Rode, Matt Sim, James Brown and Roland Putsche, who have all played prominent roles in City’s opening games, were benched, and so, too, was striker Lehohlonolo Majoro. But the changes certainly had no effect on the Cape side’s attitude or approach. On the contrary, the team selected gave as good as they got, and more – and were desperately unlucky not to get something from the match.
Tinkler’s demand to his players ahead of on Tuesday night’s fixture was that they start more briskly, stay in the moment and play for the full 90 minutes. In their two previous games, City kicked off poorly and were on the back foot most of the first half. And then, by the time they improved in the second half, it was far too late to affect the result of the game. This was something Tinkler was determined to eliminate from their game – and he certainly got the response he wanted yesterday. City had Pirates under the cosh early on, and they then sustained the tempo and industry over the 90-minute period.
Last week, Pirates goalkeeper Brighton Mhlongo kept his team in the game when they eventually went on to defeat Ajax. On Tuesday night, the keeper was at it again, and again his heroics were responsible for denying a Cape side.
Pirates may have quite a few points on the board this early in the season – but, in truth, they still look far from convincing. They were outplayed by Ajax last week and, in their own backyard on Tuesday night, they produced another underwhelming display as they played second fiddle to an excellent City side.
Meanwhile, in Green Point, for Ajax, it was again that man, Nathan Paulse, who stole the show. Desperate for their first win of the season, the Cape side was out of the blocks quickly and, after a teasing run and cross from Thabo Mosadi, Paulse scored with a delightfully deft back-heel in the fourth minute. It was 34-year-old’s Paulse’s third goal in three matches, proving that age is but a number. The Ajax veteran should, in fact, have scored again a minute later, but Polokwane goalkeeper George Chigova pulled off a great save to deny the striker.
Mosadi has had a brilliant start to his career at Ajax after arriving in the Mother City from the University of Pretoria this season. The winger was again a tricky, energetic presence in the opening 40 minutes on Tuesday night – and he’s looking like a really good addition for the Cape side. Mosadi came into the game with a hamstring strain and he succumbed to the injury again, and was replaced by Ndiviwe Mdabuka at the start of the second half.
Ajax goalkeeper Brandon Petersen also showed that he’s back to his best. The 21-year-old had a major setback to his career when an injury kept him out of the game for 18 months. With Finn Anssi Jaakkola joining Reading in the English Championship this season, Petersen inherited the number one jersey. On Tuesday night, he gave indication of his promise and potential with a breath-taking save to Puleng Tlolane. The Polokwane striker’s shot from range looked for all the world as if it would nestle into the top corner, but Petersen flung himself across to acrobatically tip the effort over.
But all Ajax’s good work in the first half was undone in the second. Roscoe Pietersen’s ill-judged foul on Tlolane in the 60th minute resulted in a penalty, which was converted by Thobani Mncwango. It was also Pietersen’s second yellow of the match and his dismissal also means he misses out on Friday’s Cape derby.
@extrastrongsa
Independent Media