PHOKENG – Platinum Stars were relegated from the Premiership after falling to a 2-1 defeat to AmaZulu at home at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Phokeng on Wednesday.
The curtain finally came down on Platinum Stars disastrous Premiership campaign with the writing on the wall from the onset as the visitors started the brighter of the two teams.
Jabulani Ncobeni and Butholezwe Ncube tried their luck early on, but Mbongeni Mzimela kept the hosts on level terms.
It was then the turn for his opposition number Siyabonga Mbatha to keep the score level as Wangu Gome tried to give his side the goal that would keep their slender hopes of staying in the top-flight alive.
With SuperSport United having taken the lead against Free State Stars, the match and Premiership survival was beginning to slip away.
Shortly before the break, Mbatha was called into action and once again proved capable to the task much to the frustration of the small crowd in attendance.
Relegation was all but confirmed in the 61st minute when Ovidy Karuru rose to meet Sibusiso Mabiliso’s cross.
Mbatha was working his way towards the Man of the Match award by pulling off a number of saves before the axe finally fell on Roger de Sa’s men.
As the news filtered in that SuperSport were in control, Platinum Stars continued to throw caution to the win in search of an equaliser.
In the 81st minute, things went from bad to worse for the home side as Karuru turned from scorer to provider as Mhlengi Cele made it 2-0 to seal a result that sent Dikwena into the National First Division.
Five minutes after Cele’s strike, Letsie Koapeng put some respectability to the score-line, but the war was long since lost for Platinum Stars.
For the visitors, the win on the road all but sealed their place in the top-flight for another year.