Beautiful Birds wings clipped at Alex Stadium
ALEXANDRA – Bluebirds walloped 5–0 by the Tshwane University of Technology Ladies (TUT) in the Sasol Women's League match.
Multiple defensive errors coupled with a severe lack of confidence and winning mentality have been described as the root causes of the 5–0 smashing of Bluebirds by Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) Ladies in a Sasol Women’s League game played at the Alexandra Stadium.
It seemed the chief culprits for the loss were the Birds’ defensive foursome of Ntsoaki Phala, Lahliwe Majoro, Deveney Rhoda and Thokozile Nkosi, including the last line of defence, goalkeeper, Tshidi Morua.
The defenders often failed to comprehensively clear the ball while in the danger area and in certain instances gifted the TUT strikers with the ball to score some of their easiest goals.
Had the TUT strikers made use of all the gifts that came their way, the scoreline would have been embarrassingly higher.
Morua, the Beautiful Birds keeper, also had her share of blunders. TUT could have easily scored an avalanche of goals in the first half alone had the strikers been clinical and composed in front of goals, and also avoided their share of gifts to the keeper in the form tame strikes.
The first TUT goal in the dying minutes of the first half was another harmless strike that should have been easy pickings for Morua but she fumbled it in the process.
In her attempt to collect the ball, a kneeling Morua accidentally pushed the ball between her legs and tried turning around to grab it but by then it had already crossed the line and had been awarded by the referee.
The two teams went into the halftime break with the TUT Ladies leading 1–0.
TUT resumed the second with even more purpose and registered their second goal in less than two minutes of tye start which was quickly followed by another to make it 3–0.
Birds’ Zingawe Phakathi, a replacement in the dying minutes of the first half for the injured Natasha Goge, could have pulled one back for the Birds but her strike went inches wide of the upright.
TUT scored their fourth and fifth goals in quick succession. Birds’ second half substitute Faith Ntithe had two attempts at goal in the dying minutes that could have seen Banyana ba Malvin salvage some pride, but they were easily dealt with by the alert TUT keeper.
Birds coach Malvin Khumalo said after the game that the warning signs for such an embarrassing defeat had long been visible. “We hope to regroup early before our next away match to UJ Ladies [University of Johannesburg Ladies] and a tough one against Palace Super Falcons at home in two weeks’ time,” he said.
Khumalo added that he would have to work on the psychology of the girls in an effort to boost their shattered confidence and hopefully bring them back to winning ways again.
Player of the match for the Birds was none other than the hardworking Nonhlanhla ‘Gaddafi’ Mthandi, who controlled the midfield and distributed passes to strikers left, right and centre.
Read: Shape up or ship out, Birds coach Malvin Khumalo warns his players
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