JOHANNESBURG – Polokwane City recorded their third consecutive league win as they outplayed Free State Stars 2-1 at Goble Park in Bethlehem on Saturday afternoon.
The result has sent the hosts Stars even closer to the relegation zone.
It took the Limpopo side just 40 seconds to open their account, when midfielder Vusimuzi Mngomezulu right-footed home past Stars goalkeeper Thela Ngobeni to score his second goal in as many matches.
Stars, who went into the match third-from-bottom on 23 points on the log, produced a courageous display as they attempted to get back into the match.
Defenders Bokang Thlone and Sinethemba Jantjie forced quality stops from City's No 1 George Chigova.
The home team’s persistence paid off in the 36th minute when striker Goodman Dlamini headed home to level, with Chigova off his goal-line.
However, the Polokwane-based team took the lead again in the 42nd minute when striker Rodney Ramagalela’s right-footed shot found the back of the net to give the marksman his ninth goal of the campaign.
Stars so nearly got a share of the spoils in the final minute when a cross floated in by second-half substitute Danny Venter was poorly cleared by the defence, which allowed the ball to head goalwards, only for Chigova to parry the ball away.
City, now on 37 points from 26 matches, face a trickier encounter when they host title-chasing Supersport United next Saturday.
Stars will be having nightmares over their top-flight status when they travel to face title contenders Cape Town City away on Friday night.