Rangers upbeat in new season of the ANLFA Promotional League as they dim the Stars
ALEXANDRA – Rangers dim the glare of United Stars with a 4-2 win in the Alex Northrand LFA Promotional League.
Rangers continued from where they left off last season as they mount yet another battle for the championship of the Alexandra Northrand Local Football Association (ANLFA) Promotional League.
If they can win the league this time around, they will be promoted to the SAB League on their long and arduous journey to the lucrative Premier Soccer League which has just posted R1-billion in revenue for the 2018/19 season.
Rangers netted four goals past United Stars who only managed to pull two back in the fourth round of the 20-team league.
In a match played at the Alexandra Stadium, last season’s second-leading goal scorer in the league, Rangers’ Paul Maluleke, registered his name on the scoreboard in just 15 minutes of the start after he chipped the ball over advancing Stars keeper Tshiledzi Mabogo.
Soon after Maluleke’s goal, Stars’ Koketso Mathebula missed an open net with the keeper beaten and soon after they got another chance to find an equalising goal but Kamva Tinga’s chip of the keeper was parried over the crossbar by the alert goal minder.
Rangers’ Thabo Mamabolo came close to scoring an own goal but luckily his skewed clearance grazed the top of the crossbar.
As Stars battled to find the equaliser, Rangers’ Obakeng Modise received a cross ball and made no mistake in rattling the back of the net to give his side a two-goal cushion at halftime.
On resumption, Modise scored his brace in less than five minutes after the start to make it 3–0. Stars, though, never gave up as they mounted raid after raid in search of the elusive goals and lady luck finally looked upon them when they were awarded a penalty for a foul in the box.
Tinga stepped up to take the spot-kick and didn’t disappoint to make it 3–1.
The action swung between the two goalmouths and it was Maluleke who was fouled in the box by Stars’ Karabo Mothapo and he quickly dusted himself off to take the penalty. He was wide of the mark but luckily got a second chance as the keeper had moved off his line before the spot-kick had been taken. The retake allowed Maluleke to claim his brace as he made no mistake this time around for a 4–1 lead.
In the dying minutes of the game, Stars skipper Lunga Ngalonkulu managed to sneak the ball into the back of the net in a goalmouth scramble for the final 4–2 scoreline.
Maluleke already has five goals to his credit in just four games.
Rangers coach Musa Hlombe said he was delighted to have led 2–0 at halftime and urged his men to keep the momentum and pressure. “I am happy to be where I am at the moment but the league is still too young for joy,” said Hlombe.
Stars coach Tsietsi ‘Tsivo’ Letsoela described the league as a marathon race in which they will have to just keep working hard and fight on. “I have just been with the team for four games in which we have won two and lost another two. It’s still early days,” he added.
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