Rangers’ danger man sees red in fierce battle for second spot of the ANLFA Promotional League

A 10-man Rangers managed to hang in for a share of the spoils in a fierce battle for the second spot in an Alexandra Northrand Local Football Association (ANLFA) Promotional League game played at Alexandra Stadium.

The battle may have ended goalless after the 90 minutes of action that constantly swung from one goalmouth to the other but both teams ended up as winners on the day as they got to share the two points of a hard-fought encounter which saw a red card being flashed in just under 10 minutes of play.

It was directed at one of the league’s leading marksmen, Siyabonga Maluleke, famously known by his other name of Paul, who saw red as he was given an early shower for rough play and Rangers, whose scoring prowess rests on the shoulders of this man, had to play the remaining 80 or so minutes one man down.

Losing their lethal striker so early in the game dampened the spirits of the team as they fumbled a bit but eventually managed to overcome the setback and picked themselves up to face the challenges that lay ahead.

No one gave Rangers a chance after the departure of Maluleke. Their opponents never failed to hide their delight at the sending off as did the bench of Amajananda, including their handful of supporters in the stands who clapped in appreciation.

The match degenerated into a game of missed opportunities, the bulk of which fell to Amajananda though Rangers too had their fair share. Amajananda’s Fhulufhelo Magwedzha missed an open net when he latched onto a ball inside the box but shot wide as the keeper was left stranded after saving a previous attempt at goal.

Lwando Mrosana also had a one-on-one with the keeper but decided to blast it straight at him and the keeper managed to block it with his body. The action quickly swung to the other posts and Rangers’ Wandile Mlongeni was denied a scoring chance by the keeper who parried the ball for a corner.

Amajananda captain Dimakatso Nkasane thrice fumbled the ball when he also had a one-on-one with the keeper, though on one of the occasions he was ruled offside. Nkasane had another opportunity to lead from the front and win the game for his side in the dying minutes when, instead of scoring, decided to pass the ball and the other

The player did same and a third player’s attempt was eventually blocked by the mass of Rangers’ green shirts in the box and then quickly cleared.

Rangers coach Musa Hlombe said he was equally baffled by the red card shown to Maluleke but he was nevertheless happy that his men had managed to hang in there for a share of the spoils. “It was a tough match and the result was a fair reflection of the game,” he added.

His Amajananda counterpart Lucky Zuma also admitted it was a tough game. “We tried everything we could but we just couldn’t score. We had all [at the bench] counted a goal in the skipper’s missed opportunity that was never to be,” said coach, whose players hail from between 6th and 12th avenues.

Other results:

• United Stars 1 versus Tangent Tornados 0
• Western Boys 2 versus Stamina Football Academy 1
• Amajananda 0 versus Rangers 0
• Black Mask 7 versus Phomolong All-Stars
• Boss United 0 versus Norwood Young Stars 2
• Extension 7 FC 1 versus MaAfrica FC 2
• Gauteng FC 1 versus Laz FC 1
• Gomtown Boys 1 versus Akeric Football Institution 1

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https://northeasterntribune.co.za/250320/joburg-bids-farewell-to-the-fallen-sport-titan/