Ismael Cisse of Lamontville Golden Arrows celebrates a goal with teammates as they won 1-0 against Durban City in the Betway Premiership match at the King Zwelithini Stadium, Umlazi on Saturday.
Image: BackpagePix
LAMONTVILLE Golden Arrows head coach Manqoba Mngqithi had a bittersweet taste in his mouth after his side’s 1-0 victory over Durban City on Saturday. A slender margin despite being technically superior to their opponents, "but that's football" according to Mngqithi.
Arrows ran circles around Durban for the better part of the 90 minutes but were ultimately left frustrated after failing to convert their dominance into a more convincing scoreline.
Nhlanhla Zwane could have bagged three goals alone in the final five minutes of the match, but City goalkeeper Darren Keet produced a string of outstanding saves to spare his side from what could have been a proper hiding.
For Mngqithi, the win still counted as a major positive, especially considering Arrows were coming off a heavy 5-0 defeat to Orlando Pirates earlier in the week.
To shake off that kind of loss and return with a dominant display just days later highlighted the resilience within the Abafana Bes’thende squad and technical team.
“That is our biggest Achilles heel of late. We are not taking our chances,” said Mngqithi.
“But one must appreciate the win because the anxiety levels after the previous result… maybe the players were not focused.“But I was happy with the result and I am happy with the effort from the boys.”
Arrows made a strong start to the match, with their structure and adherence to tactical principles allowing them to build attacks effectively and progress into dangerous areas with ease.
“We started the game quite well. Our structure respected principles and our build-ups were very effective. We made it into their half very easily, but unfortunately that focus in the final third let us down.
“We got into many situations that could have given us the five we got from Pirates the other day, but that’s how the game goes," Mngqithi said.
Isaac Cissé's soft touch, quick feet and even quicker thinking made him a standout performer in the first half, slicing through the defence and creating multiple opportunities. His vangard of attacking movements is what led to the only goal of the match.
Nhlanhla Gasa, who was another troublesome player for the Durban defence, weaved his way almost to the edge of the box before cutting the ball back to the right foot of Cissé.
Durban City showed some improvement after the break and looked like a different side for a brief spell before Arrows reasserted their dominance and regained control of proceedings. Mngqithi’s decision to introduce Sabelo Sithole added fresh legs and intent, but the finishing touch continued to elude the hosts.
The final attacking sequences were once again led by Zwane, whose composure and flair ignited the crowd with every touch. Zwane walked away with the Man of the Match award, despite narrowly missing out on adding to the scoreline.
He admitted his inconsistency earlier in the season but believes he is now turning a corner. Post Pirates loss, Zwane indicated that
“It’s been a long time since I played, so I had to stand out today,” Zwane said, "we had to be monsters (after the Pirates loss) and mentally tough. I think that was the key to this," he added.
“My consistency let me down in the first round, but I’m getting there day by day.”
Should they keep this form, Arrows will all can all but certainly confirm a top 8 finish in the league. But other teams between them and the top could drop the ball and make some wiggle room for Arrows to move up.
Jehran Naidoo is sports reporter for Independent Media and social media coordinator of the our YouTube channel The Clutch.