Maritzburg ease past Eagles to retain Premiership place

by Staff Reporter

Wednesday May 29, 2019. 18:00

Maritzburg United will play top-flight football next season following a 2-0 win over Royal Eagles in a PSL promotion-relegation playoff fixture at Chatsworth Stadium in Durban on Wednesday.

The Team of Choice conjured nine points from three matches to hand them an unassailable lead heading into this weekend's now dead rubber showdown against TTM.

Siphesihle Ndlovu struck home the opener in the 42nd minute following a swift counter-attack. The midfielder's rasping shot proving too powerful for Eagles shot-stopper Patrick Nyame.

Maritzburg doubled their lead in the 72nd minute through Thabiso Kutumela. The forward scored the club's opening goal of the playoffs and added a second in three matches with a curling free-kick.

Eagles duly gave up on the cause and were in danger of being on the end of an even greater scoreline, but Maritzburg failed to capitalise on a catalogue of late chances.

It mattered little, though, as the Pietermaritzburg club secured top-flight football for the 2019-20 season.

Royal Eagles (0) 0
Maritzburg United (1) 2 (Ndlovu 42' Kutumela 73')

Royal Eagles: Nyame; Cele, Bakah, Manganyi, Shezi, Stoffels, Mashiane, Nene, Brown (Tau 70'), Wambi (Mncube 76'), Zulu (Ntuli 59').

Maritzburg United: Ofori; Shandu, Allie, De Reuck, Onyango, Hlongwane (Kutumela 46'), Timm, Makaringe, Mekoa, Moseamedi (Mokate 73'), Ndlovu (Sanoka 81').