Ajax move up to eighth

Ajax Cape Town recorded their first away win of the Absa Premiership season after they walked away with a 2-1 victory over ten-man SuperSport United at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Tuesday evening, a game which saw two penalties saved.

Both Thulani Hlatshwayo and Sibusiso Zuma saw their penalties denied by two in-form goalkeepers while Eleazar Rodgers and Aiden Jenniker got on the score-sheet for Ajax.

Cavin Johnson’s men were on a mission to grab the three points and receive a confidence booster after having suffered a semi-final elimination from the Telkom Knockout by Orlando Pirates on Saturday afternoon.

Similarly, Ajax were on the same mission and eager to bounce back to winning ways after Moroka Swallows handed them a 3-1 defeat in a league matchon Friday evening.

The Urban Warriors got off to a positive start and they had the ball in the back of the net in the second minute after Eleazar Rodgers nodded home a cross. However, it didn’t stand due to a foul on Bevan Fransman.

Opportunities followed for both Rodgers and Lebogang Manyama but they both saw their efforts go wide of the far post inside the opening ten minutes of the game.

David Mathebula combined well the Bennet Chenene and Mathebula’s pass allowed for the former Swallows’ player to unleash a powerful shot on goal, but it failed to hit the target after 16 minutes of play.

Lance Davids was lucky to get away without a booking, midway through the first half, after he laid on a heavy studs-up challenge onto the ankle of Chenene.

But Ajax’s hard work was rightly rewarded when they deservingly grabbed the lead in the 38^th minute through Rodgers, who sliced home Manyama’s cross to score his debut strike for the Urban Warriors.  

Cavin Johnson made one change at the break, bringing on Sameegh Doutie in place of Chenene who was suspected to be struggling with the earlier knock he sustained from Davids.

Jaakkola, who had little to do for the opening hour of the game, did well to deny Mor Diouf the equalizer by tipping the shot over the crossbar.

SuperSport were putting the pressure on Ajax and it resulted in a dramatic closing ten minutes of the game which saw two penalties given.

Ajax were the first to be the awarded the spot kick when Fransman was wrongly judged to have brought down Bantu Mzwakali in the box.

Thulani Hlatshwayo stood up to the spot kick but his effort was brilliantly denied by the experienced gloves of Fernandez.

That seemed to spur the away side on and Jenniker made it 2-0 with a bursting run into the box which saw him slot the ball past the SuperSport ‘keeper at the near post.

But a minute later, SuperSport were handed the smallest of lifelines when Sibusiso Zuma stood up to the penalty area to take the second spot-kick in the match. Like his opposite number, Jaakkola too denied the effort only to be beaten by Zuma on the rebound.

The home side was then reduced to ten men inside stoppage time after Fransman was handed his second yellow card of the evening, but there was no way back.

SuperSport United (0) 1 (Zuma 86’)

Ajax Cape Town (1) 2 (Rodgers 38’ Jenniker  85’)

SuperSport United: Fernandez, Nkausu, Fransman, Diouf, Mdledle, Gyimah, Nel (Maluleke 76’), Phala, Chenene (Doutie 46’), Mathebula, Niang (Zuma 65’)

Ajax Cape Town: Jaakkola, Hlatshwayo, Isaacs, Krjauklis, Davids (Jenniker 51’), Alexander, Ernesto, Losper, Manyama (Mzwakali 70’) Dolly, Rodgers (Paulse 61’)

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