Nothing to write home about Ajax and Arrows

20 August 2017 - 00:00 By Nick Said

Wantaway defender Rivaldo Coetzee scored his first professional goal as hosts Ajax Cape Town were held by Lamontville Golden Arrows in their Absa Premiership clash Saturday night.
Coetzee, who is being tracked by Scottish Premier League side Glasgow Celtic, netted in the second half and then left the field with a hamstring injury, which will be aworry fornational team coach Stuart Baxter ahead of the Fifa World Cup qualifier double-headeragainst Cape Verde in two weeks’ time.
Lerato Lamola had given the visitors the lead with a bizarre goal, while both teams then spurned excellent chances to get their league campaigns off to a winning start.The Urban Warriors were dealt a blow before kick-off when Prince Nxumalo was forced to withdraw late on after feeling unwell.Abafanabe’sthende ’s major changes from the side that lost their MTN8 quarterfinal to Bidvest Wits last weekend were on their bench, with head coach Clinton Larsen and his assistant Mandla Ncikazi both forced into the stands after being red-carded in that encounter.
It meant their former striker Vusumuzi Vilakazi, now coach of the MultiChoice Diski Challenge side, led from the dugout. The visitor’s game-plan in the first half was predictable and effective as they soaked up that pressure from the home side, before hitting them on the break with pace. And they took the lead in somewhat fortunatecircumstances on 24 minutes.
Ajax goalkeeper Brandon Petersen saw his attempted pass out of defence hit Lamola and rebound 30 yards to trickle into the back of the net. Arrows might have added to that advantage when first Wayde Jooste headed over when well placed at the back post, before Kudakwashe Mahachi turned his defender and drilled the ball low past the outside of the post...

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