14 April 2008
Windhoek — Ten-man African Stars pulled off a stunning 3-1 victory against log leaders Ramblers on Friday evening to throw the league race wide open again.
The result means that Ramblers are now only one point ahead of Cymot SKW who drew 2-all against Tigers last Wednesday, while Stars move up to fourth position - seven points off the pace, but with a game in hand.
Stars' Zimbabwean striker Silver Suriyari had a great match, scoring two goals and being denied a third after Ramblers defender Martin Mhani deflected his shot into the net.
The start of the match was delayed for about 45 minutes as officials struggled to put the goalkeeping nets up, but when it finally started, Ramblers immediately went on the attack.
But it was Stars who took the lead against the run of play when Suriyari broke through Ramblers' defence with a fine solo run in the 11th minute to put Stars 1-0 ahead. Stars' fans barely had time to settle down before Suriyari broke clear again and sent a cracking shot goalwards, which Martin Mhani deflected past a stranded Lukas Hashiti into the net. Stars' midfielder Ninja Karongee was sent off in the 30th minute after picking up his second yellow card for a rash tackle on Bernadine Mbilizi, but Ramblers failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage.
Stars went 3-0 up in the 62nd minute through another piece of brilliance by Suriyari. He latched onto a long through ball to break through Ramblers' defence and slot the ball into the back of the net. After incessant pressure, Ramblers finally broke through in the 79th minute when Jeremia Baisako sent a cross into the box, which John Samson dummied for Gerry Keister to stab in at the far post. But that was all they got as Stars held out for a memorable victory. Oshakati City beat Civics 2-1 in Oshakati on Saturday to ease their relegation fears somewhat.
Both Oshakati's goals were scored from the penalty spot by Samson Kawawa. The first came after ten minutes after a handball in the box, and although Victor Helu equalised on 30 minutes, Oshakati won another penalty with about 15 minutes to go after a foul in the box. Kawawa once again scored from the spot to give Oshakati only their third victory of the season.
Civics' coach Ricardo Mannetti was upset about the officiating and the pitch. "It seems there is a conspiracy against Civics. The officiating was pathetic and it seemed like we had to play against 15 men. The pitch was in a very bad condition and had no grass on it," he said. Despite the defeat, Mannetti was happy with the performance of his team.
"They stuck to our game-plan and their tactical play was very good. I'm not too upset, we still have 24 points to play for and I believe we can still make an impact," he said. The struggle to avoid relegation intensified as the bottom three teams all picked up points over the weekend.
Mighty Gunners recorded their second victory of the season when they beat Eleven Arrows 1-0 at home in Otjiwarongo.
Blue Waters picked up a point in a 0-0 draw against Black Africa in Walvis Bay, while bottom-of-the-log Fedics United held Orlando Pirates to a 2-all draw in Keetmanshoop.
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