Cape Town Spurs can edge closer to securing promotion when they take on Casric Stars this afternoon.
Promotion Play-Offs
Result: Cape Town Spurs 1-0 Casric Stars
Date: 07 June 2023
Venue: Athlone Stadium
Spurs were still without Orlando Pirates loanee Boitumelo Radiopane, as coach Shaun Bartlett handed Chumani Butsaka a start in place of Asenele Velebayi as the only change from the win over Maritzburg United over the weekend.
The Mother City outfit had already beaten Stars in the play-off opener two weeks ago, but the visitors would be eager to restore some pride after suffering back-to-back losses.
The hosts were unlucky not to have gone ahead on 24 minutes when Moosa saw his acrobatic strike hit the crossbar, before top scorer Ashley Cupido had his close-range header cleared off the line.
It was one-way traffic in the first half and Stars needed to dig deep defensively once again after 40 minutes when Rushwin Dortley's header was cleared off the line, before Clayton Daniels' deflected sailed over the target from the rebound.
Stars, meanwhile, were quite happy to sit back and soak up the pressure in the early stages of the second half but they never offered any attacking outlet on the counter attack.
Spurs' hopes of finding the opening goal suffered a blow on 66 minutes when Cupido was shown a straight red card for an off-the-ball incident with Ngoanamel Rammala, leaving the hosts to finish the game with ten men.
However, the red card did not dampen Spurs spirit as the found the breakthrough in the 73rd minute courtesy of an impressive finish first-time finish from Morne Nel on the edge of the box.
Shaun Bartlett's charges were able to see out the closing stages, with Spurs goalkeeper Lincoln Vyver producing a couple vital saves, including one in the final seconds of stoppage time to see out the win.
Here's how they lined up:
Cape Town Spurs: Vyer, Allie, Dortley, Daniels, Brown, Nel, Cupido, Morton, Moosa, Moroole, Butsaka.
Subs: Dlamini, Velebayi, Bern, Stander, Scott, Finck, Phewa, Ryan, Thethani
Casric Stars: Mpakumpaku, Thsoba, Rammala, Mathonsi, Mtshweni, Tlholoe, Rakwena, Semache, Mosadi, Mjiela, Sesane
Subs: Kgomotso, Abubakar, Zwane, Mokoena, Taukobong, Thibedi, Gum, Mabote, Nkosi
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