It rained both Pula and goals at the Old Francistown Stadium on Saturday as Eleven Angels put in a devastating second-half performance to sink Mogoditshane Fighters and claim a vital three points in the fight for Premier League survival.
After a largely uneventful first 45, with both teams struggling to adapt to the wet conditions, an inspired double substitution at half-time from Coach, Seemo Mpatane proved the catalyst for Angels’ much-needed win against a side that had beaten them just two weeks earlier.
The young tactician brought his brother, Bakang Mpatane on to bolster the midfield and also handed new signing, Onneile Sebapalo, his debut up front.
Snapped up on deadline day from VTM FC to fill the void left by Monty Enosa, Sebapalo’s impact was immediate, scoring in the 48th minute with his very first touch for the club – talk about making a good first impression!
Five minutes later and it was 2-0, Tlotlo Kgaolo showing silky skills to beat two defenders before calmly slotting past, Phemelo Ramphala in the visitor’s net.
Cruising, at that point the wild weather looked like the only thing capable of stopping Angels.
With the rain intensifying and puddles appearing on the drenched pitch, the referee was left with no option but to halt play, bringing the players off on the hour mark.
The main concern was Mogoditshane’s waterlogged goalmouth, a problem the home side’s ground staff tried to solve with river sand.
It took a good 30 minutes to fix the issue to the match officials’ approval, much to the annoyance of Fighters’ furious management, who insisted the patched-up pitch was still unplayable.
Two minutes after the restart and the Samba Boys’ mood darkened further as they fell 3-0 behind to an Eric Ookame goal.
The goal-scoring frenzy continued just four minutes later, Othusegile Botswetswe pulling one back for Mogoditshane with what turned out to be their only shot on target.
Sadly, the slippery, increasingly muddy conditions meant the game didn’t get the stellar climax it deserved, the final 20 minutes played at a slow tempo as both sets of players looked to avoid injury.
The result, Angels first win of the year after three draws and three defeats, means Lekgamu la Bananyana now have an eight-point buffer between themselves and the relegation zone.
For struggling Fighters, the cushion is far less comfortable.
Currently two points above Prisons XI and the drop zone, Ofentse Mapeu’s side are on a disastrous run of form that has seen them win just one of their last nine fixtures, including becoming the first team to lose to Holy Ghost.
MATCH STATS
ELEVEN ANGELS (0) 3 MOGODITSHANE FIGHTERS (0) 1
(Sebapalo 48, (Botswetswe 66)
Kgaolo 53, Ookame 62)
65% POSSESSION 35%
11 SHOTS 9
5 ON TARGET 1
4 CORNERS 1
5 OFFSIDE 2
8 FOULS 17
0 0 CARDS 1 0
