Johannesburg – The University of Pretoria went four points clear of last-placed Maritzburg United in the ABSA Premiership when they triumphed 4-2 at the Harry Gwala stadium on Saturday night.
The visitors created the first opportunity of the game. Mpho Maruping was picked out by a brilliant Thabo Mnyamane setpiece, but his header went agonisingly wide of the goal.
The deadlock was broken five minutes before the half hour mark. Philane Zulu led a lightning quick counter attack and released Deolin Mekoa who cut inside from the right wing, beat five defenders and fired a thunderous left foot shot into the back of the net to put the Team of Choice in to the lead.
The home team piled on the pressure and Tuks shot-stopper Trystin Coetsee was called in to action once again ten minutes before the break when Mario Booysen and Zulu combined which resulted in the latter's long range effort being kept out brilliantly.
Three minutes after the interval Shaun Bartlett's men scored the equaliser. Vuyisile Ntombayithethi's whipped cross was headed home by the lively Maruping.
The team from Pretoria then took the lead two minutes later, Lennox Bacela was on hand to score his second goal of the season when he tucked away a loose ball that fell to him after some good work from Thabo Nemukondeni in the Maritzburg penalty area.
In the 55th minute, Bacela beat the offside trap when Atusaye Nyondo's clipped ball found the Tuks hitman who made no mistake with a calm finish across the face of goal to grab his brace in the game.
Just after the hour mark, Ernst Middendorp's men's woes were compounded when Nyondo showed good skill down the right wing and delivered a low cross that Dennis Onyango converted in to his own net. In the 69th minute United managed to pull a goal back through playmaker Zulu, but it was too little too late as Tuks closed the game out and settled for the victory.
“I think again we showed our fighting spirit, we can score goals. We just need to close out games and we did that today,” Tuks coach, Shaun Bartlett said.
“I think we worked ourselves into a good position leading at half-time. Fifteen to twenty minutes of madness in terms of defenCe cost us,'“ Maritzburg United coach, Ernst Middendorp said. - African News Agency (ANA)