A hard-fought 1-0 win over Mamelodi Sundowns on February 11 has seen TS Galaxy jump three places on the Betway Premiership log, up to fourth.
Whenever The Rockets play host to Masandawana at Mbombela Stadium, the crowd is bound to be treated to a spectacle, and Tuesday night’s clash was no different. Adding to the tension of the mid-week clash was the fact that heading into the encounter, both sides were the in-form teams in the league.
TS Galaxy were on an 11-game unbeaten run in the league and 12 games without loss in all competitions, while Sundowns were on a 10-game unbeaten run. Sundowns had the chance to extend their lead at the top of the table to 12 points, while TS Galaxy had the opportunity to leapfrog three teams and move up to fourth on the log.
The first chance of the game fell to TS Galaxy’s Kamogelo Sebelebele in the third minute, but his strike strayed wide. From thereon it was the visitors who dominated proceedings, quickly taking charge of the match. Mamelodi Sundowns struggled to break down The Rockets’ defence, though, as the hosts’ backline stood firm.
Chance after chance, TS Galaxy repelled whatever Mamelodi Sundowns threw their way. Rain also began falling in the latter stages of the first half, adding another interesting dynamic to the game. The deadlock was finally broken in the 44th minute, somewhat against the run of play.
Some intricate passing and off-the-ball movement by TS Galaxy culminated in a silky assist from Dženan Zajmovic that sent Sebelebele through on goal once more. He did not squander his chance this time, though, sneaking the ball past the outstretched leg of Sundowns’ keeper and captain, Ronwen Williams.
This sent the stadium into delirium, and handed TS Galaxy a 1-0 lead going into half-time. Typically a team that enjoys a good second half comeback, Masandawana seemed out of sorts as they again were unable to break down the TS Galaxy defensive line. They seemed to start becoming unsettled midway through the second half, with TS Galaxy notching up a few more chances of their own.
Mamelodi Sundowns still created chances, though, but Ira Tapé continued his good form in-goal for The Rockets, making four saves on his way to earning a fifth consecutive clean sheet. Sundowns struggled to find sufficient space on the park to create anything substantial, and ended the 90 minutes without creating a single big chance.
This meant TS Galaxy walked away 1-0 victors, moving them up to fourth place on the log, a stark contrast from when they were bottom of the log after five matches, when current manager Adnan Beganovic took charge.
Their unbeaten run is now 13 games in all competitions and 12 in the league. Beganovic has also not lost a game yet, since becoming manager. The match also ended The Rockets’ run of five straight games at home, of which they won four and drew one.
They travel to Durban on Friday February 14 to take on Durban City in the Nedbank Cup round of 16. Thereafter, they return home to face Stellenbosch on February 18, before travelling to Pretoria for the return fixture against Sundowns on February 22.
> Photos: Blake Linder
