Sleepy Gauteng slapped by prolific Stars

A sluggish Gauteng FC was hammered 3–1 by the prolific academy side of media personality Farouk Khan’s Stars of Africa in a SAB League match played at the Alexandra Stadium.

The Brixton-based outfit started the game in the typical fashion of a team of boys who eat, sleep and dream all things football with their slick passes, coupled with their ability to knock the ball around in attempts to unsettle their opponents, and thereby making inroads into the penalty area.

Making inroads they did and they created a couple of opportunities to test keeper Sbo Khumalo at close range but found him to be equal to the task.

Gauteng was found wanting in most cases as they could hardly string any passes of the ball together. Theirs was a first touch, and the second or third touch then went to Stars who were able to string together six or so passes without the home side having a touch of the ball.

This clearly gave the visitors a close to 70 per cent ball possession, clearly amplified by the more than five number of corners they got in the first half, alone, to none from the home side.

Khan, who was seated in the radio box of the grandstand and kept shouting instructions to his boys, could have easily seen his side take the lead as early as in the 26th minute when Khumalo spilt a tame shot that resulted in a goalmouth scramble that was eventually cleared off danger by the defenders.

Gauteng’s Lehlohonolo Malungane fluffed a free kick in a good position just outside the box and the two teams went into the halftime break deadlocked at 0–0, with Stars keeper Thabo Mphasha more of a player on holiday than in the pitch.

Stars came back into the second stanza and picked up from where they had left off, continuing to pile up the pressure on a disjointed Gauteng, resulting in three late goals in the 74th, 80th and 90th minutes, while Gauteng’s Mothusi Kekana managed to pull one back in the 82nd minute.

Gauteng coach Sihle ‘uMapholoba’ Ngcobo said he was at a loss for words to explain what was happening as the team continues its decline. “I think we need to work on their psychological state and help boost a climate of positivity in the squad. I think they are too negative at this juncture and [they] don’t believe in themselves,” he said.

Meanwhile, Setho United fluffed a golden opportunity to bag all three points from a match which had the ingredients of a win written all over it when they drew 1–1 with a lacklustre Senaoane Gunners FC from Soweto.

Setheo could have easily won this game as they dominated the entire first half and had a penalty granted to them as early as in the 6th minute of the game which they easily converted.

They clung on to the lead for most of the game and only allowed the Soweto side to come back through numerous counter-attacks, one of which resulted in a goal with less than 15 minutes to full time of play.

Despite mounting a massive challenge for a winning goal, Setheo ended up settling for a draw in a game they could have easily won hands down.

Read: Using soccer to unite bitter foes

What do you think the main cause of the decline of Gauteng FC in the SAB League is? WhatsApp us on 079 3439 5345.