Nomvethe stars as Birds fight back

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Siyabonga Nomvethe celebrates after scoring against Ajax.

Johannesburg – Moroka Swallows bounced back in the last ten minutes to beat Ajax Cape Town 3-1 in their Premier League game in Dobsonville on Wednesday night.

The Birds seemed to be heading for a second disappointing defeat from their two opening matches after Lebogang Manyama had given Ajax the lead in the 71st minute with a scorching free-kick from the edge of the penalty area.

Rising from the ashes of a pending loss like the legendary phoenix, the Birds were on level terms in the 80th minute through an equally impressive free-kick by the recently-signed Katlego Mashego.

And with the small, but vociferous crowd in a veritable frenzy of excitement, Bafana Bafana striker Siyabonga Nomvethe sealed the issue for Swallows with two masterly goals within the space of the final three minutes.

It was Swallows' third successive victory over Ajax, having won both Premier League matches during the 2011-12 season against the Cape Town club.

Swallows, under Zeca Marques, who was Gordon Igesund's assistant before the latter was appointed Bafana Bafana coach, showed they had not lost their new-found fighting spirit and ability to fight back against the odds.

They enjoyed territorial advantage from the outset, having 57

per cent possession, but despite firing 12 shots at goals, against Ajax's seven, it appeared the proceedings were destined to end in a goalless stalemate.

It took Manyama's goal for Ajax to ignite the Birds into action, with Lerato Chabangu and substitutes Mashego and Joseph Makhanya playing prominent roles in the late scoring glut.

Ajax fielded newly-signed Bafana striker Bradley Grobler on his return from an 18-month sojourn in Turkey, but the Cape Town team rarely troubled Nigerian international Greg Etafia in the Swallows' goal.

The Birds, for their part, looked a different team to the one that had suffered a lacklustre 3-1 defeat against Platinum Stars in their opening Premier League game of the season. – Sapa