Sweet relief for the Reds
Reigning Orange FA Cup champions, Gaborone United gained sweet revenge over Eleven Angels on Saturday, holding their nerve to beat the high-flying youngsters on penalties in what coach, Pontsho Moloi described as a ‘massive’ result for the club.
Going into the last 32 encounter, the pressure on the Reds was huge following a slump that had seen them win just once in their previous six games – a disastrous run which climaxed with a shock defeat to Angels a week earlier in Moloi’s first game in charge.
The 2-1 loss to Seemo Mpatane’s starlets leaves GU eight points behind Jwaneng Galaxy in the league; a similar result in the cup was unthinkable for Moyagoleele’s expectant supporters.
Showing his intent, Moloi named a strong side for the crunch clash, making just three changes from the XI who started against Angels last time out.
Zebras duo, Lebogang Ditsele and Onkabetse Makgantai were dropped to the bench, making way for Mothusi Cooper and Sizwe Twala, while Kennedy Amutenya was left-out of the match-day squad altogether, the Namibian defender paying the price for his shoddy showing in Ghetto last week.
Mpatane, meanwhile, was forced into two tweaks, bringing in second-choice keeper, Emmanuel Keiditswe and striker, Onneile Sebapalo for suspended first team regulars, Tambani Bachopi and Mompati Mbidzo.
Losing the pair was a hammer blow to the home’s side’s hopes of pulling off another upset, especially as they had been under the impression both would be available for the game, only being informed to the contrary on the morning of the match.
In front of yet another full house at the Old Francistown Stadium, the third installment of Angels vs GU began in similar fashion to the previous two: with the Money Machine on the front foot, Angels content to sit back and scavenge opportunities on the counter.
In truth, it made for a tame start to the game, GU probing patiently but unable to find the killer final pass required to unlock the host’s solid defence.
Desperate for something to cheer, fans had to wait until the 21st minute for the first shot in anger, Lekgamu la Bananyana captain, Bakang Mpatane ballooning a volley way over the bar. They would not record an effort on target in the entire match!
Apart from a Twala header that was rightly ruled out for offside, the closest GU came to breaking the deadlock in the first half was a low drive from the South African front-man, requiring a scrambling save from Keiditswe down to his right.
The pattern continued into the second half, the visitor’s dominating possession and peppering the box with crosses as they upped their intensity.
However, there was always an Angels player in the right place to divert the danger, the Reds restricted to half-chances and long range shots, including a curling effort from substitute Makgantai that was tipped over the bar by an acrobatic Keiditswe.
When they did manage to get beyond the defence, they were again denied by the off-side flag, Thatayaone Kgamanyane stunned to see his tidy finish ruled out by the linesman.
At the other end, Angels’ most likely route to goal looked to be Shanganani Ngada’s long throw, a buzz of expectation humming through the ground whenever the lanky defender took aim with one of his missiles. It was how they forced their all important opener in the previous meeting, but this time, despite causing chaos, it did not lead to anything fatal.
Ultimately, neither side did enough to win it in normal time, meaning the lottery of penalties would decide the tie.
With seconds remaining, Moloi bravely hooked goalkeeper, Goitseone Phoko, replacing the Zebras No 1 with Ookeditse Semelamela for the shootout.
It proved an inspired decision from the young tactician.
A hush descended over the ground as Ronny Leagetse got the shootout off to a nightmare start for Angels, the midfielder pumping his penalty wide to leave GU in pole position. It was harsh on Leageste, who had another excellent 90 minutes in the heart of the Angels midfield.
Keidetswe briefly gave the home fans reason to dream again, saving penalty number three from Kgamanyane to leave the game balanced on a knife-edge.
With the tension rising, Semelamela emerged the hero, brilliantly saving Fungai Muzila’s spot-kick before Duncan Otieno broke Angels’ brave resistance, calmly slotting home to hand GU a much needed win.
Drawn against Crackit City Polar in the next round, Moloi’s men will be extremely confident of making it through to the quarter-finals. With P800, 000 and qualification for the CAF Confederations Cup up for grabs, Orange success for the Reds would go a long way to saving their stuttering season.
For Angels, going toe-to-toe with a star-studded GU side boasting eight national team regulars for a third game in a row shows just how far Mpatane’s troops have come .
Three years ago, they were beaten by Great North Tigers (GNT) in the opening round of the competition; now they were within a heartbeat of slaying one of the giants of the local game twice in a week – Lekgamu la Bananyana have truly come of age!
HOW THEY SAW IT:
“It’s always disappointing to lose when you’re so close to winning. However, I have nothing but praise for my players – they played their hearts out against one of the biggest teams in the land.
We didn’t create as much as I would have liked but still had our moments. Stopping a side like GU from scoring is not easy; I’m proud of our efforts today!”
“This is massive for us, a big, big result against a dangerous side. I thought we played some excellent football, controlled the game and deserved to win.
Yes, anything can happen in penalties but we practice hard for these moments and are confident in our abilities. The plan was always to bring Semelamela in if it went to pens, and he showed why!”
