Maritzburg condemn Polokwane to seventh straight defeat

Brian Onyango of Maritzburg United during the Absa Premiership

Sunday Dec 08, 2019. 20:17

Polokwane City fell to a seventh Absa Premiership loss in succession as they were downed 1-0 by Maritzburg United at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Sunday afternoon.

Yusuf Jappie’s second-half strike fires the Team of Choice up to eighth place on the log standings, as they now shift focus to their Telkom Knockout final showdown in Durban next weekend.

Defeat leaves Rise and Shine in 14th place on the log standings, a mere point off bottom spot and a lot of work ahead for new head coach Clinton Larsen.

Polokwane dominated most of the first half, but were unable to profit from their dominance as Jappie finally opened the scoring with 58 minutes on the clock.

His left-footed free-kick left George Chigova with no chance as the Zimbabwean could only watch the curling effort – from the edge of the area – bulge the back of the net.

Jabulani Maluleke rattled the crossbar with a free-kick of his own moments later with what proved to be the hosts best chance of the match.

A frantic finish ensued in five minutes of added time, but Maritzburg had done enough to claim all three points and a valuable win on their travels.