Last-placed PSL team Gallants have fun walloping Libya's Al Akhdar

12 February 2023 - 17:52 By Marc Strydom
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Lesiba Nku of Marumo Gallants celebrates his goal with teammates during the Caf Confederation Cup match against Al Akhdar at Dobsonville Stadium in Johannesburg on January 12 2023.
Lesiba Nku of Marumo Gallants celebrates his goal with teammates during the Caf Confederation Cup match against Al Akhdar at Dobsonville Stadium in Johannesburg on January 12 2023.
Image: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix

Marumo Gallants, who are wallowing in last place in the DStv Premiership, would have received a confidence boost for their domestic battle with their convincing 4-1 Caf Confederation Cup Group A walloping of Libya's Al Akhdar SC on Sunday.

It was an all too easy start to the group stage for coach Dylan Kerr's Gallants at Dobsonville Stadium, as they had fun running through a weak Akhdar on numerous occasions to rack up 15 shots to one.

Strong 30-year-old journeyman striker Ranga Chivaviro, the former Baroka FC man who had various loans to first division clubs and spent time with KF Trepca 89 in Kosovo, was the star of the show for Marumo.

He teed up winger Lesiba Nku's fourth-minute opener and sealed the win with a brace in the 21st and 57th. Substitute Akram Alzawi pulled one back for Akhdar in the 80th before substitute Joseph Molangoane got Marumo's fourth in the 85th.

Soon after kickoff Chivaviro used his body strength to hold off a defender and advance to the goal line and square, goalkeeper Miftah Al Taeb spilling into the path of Nku, who gleefully smacked in the first goal.

Al Taeb showed poor control of a back-pass and misdirected an attempted pass weakly in the direction of his left-back and found lively winger Katlego Otladisa instead, who ran through and slipped the ball to Chivaviro to bury his first.

Gallants continued to pile on the pressure from the break, as Chivaviro banged in their third 12 minutes after the restart.

The Limpopo team missed more chances too, Nku through one-on-one but shooting too close to Al Taeb.

The visiting team had some positive moments on the counterattack, so even with the uneven nature of the contest it was not a complete surprise when they pulled one back. Al Taeb's goal kick was flicked on by playmaker Salim Baled for substitute striker Alzawi to run through and shoot hard at Washington Arubi, the ball squirting under the keeper's body and dribbling over the line.

But Gallants were not done yet. Five minutes later substitute Sibusiso Sibeko beat offside on the left and Molangoane was one of two players free inside, the former Chiefs man slotting the South African team's fourth.

 


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