Goals from Tashreeq Morris and Bantu Mzwakali have put Ajax Cape Town into the Nedbank Cup semifinals after a thrilling end-to-end clash finished 2-1 in favour of the hosts at the Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on Friday.
Ajax started the match with nine players from their starting eleven coming out of the club’s youth academy. The only two not to come through the Ikamva set-up were goalkeeper Anssi Jaakkola and midfielder Keagan Dolly.
In the 13th minute the visitors fashioned the first real chance on goal when ex-Ajax winger Sameehg Doutie did well at the far post to volley a shot at goal from Jabulani Shongwe's looping pass, but he was off balance and the attempt flew over the bar.
But just a minute later and Ajax were in the lead thanks to Tashreeq Morris. Brilliant work on the right wing by Riyaad Norodien saw him evade two defenders and whipping in a cross that Moeneeb Josephs could not handle, allowing Morris to tap in from close range.
Thereafter there were two very good chances on both ends of the field in the space of a minute. First Morris beat the offside trap to reach Mosa Lebusa’s through ball, but his shot was saved by Josephs’s legs.
Then, on the other end, Doutie got on the end of a delightful ball into the danger area, but from right in front of goal he could not direct the ball into the back of the net.
On the half hour mark Gavin Hunt made a tactical change in taking off midfielder Papy Faty and bringing on Ben Motshwari.
In the 38th minute Wits had three chances to score in the space of a minute as they applied the pressure on the home side. First Doutie’s shot was saved and then Hlatshwayo’s header was pushed away from goal by Jaakkola. From the resultant corner the keeper saved yet again from Hlatshwayo’s head.
Four minutes later and Ajax could have been further ahead when Nathan Paulse’s header from Nazeer Allie’s right-wing cross was sent over the crossbar.
On the stroke of halftime Sthembiso Ngcobo’s header hit the upright and rolled across the Ajax goal and out for a goal kick as the first half finished 1-0 in favour of Ajax.
Seven minutes into the second stanza and Wits went close through Siyabonga Nhlapo who ran into space and let rip with a shot but Jaakkola saved well.
In the 59th minute Norodien was again in space on the right wing where he cut inside at speed and delivered a telling cross but Morris just couldn’t connect properly with the goal at his mercy.
In the final eight minutes of the game Fikru Tefera had a chance from inside the danger area, but he tried a near post attempt and fluffed his opportunity. Moments later Ben Motshwari hit the upright with a cracking shot from distance.
In referee’s optional time at the end of the match substitute Bantu Mzwakali made it 2-0 with a stunning glancing header across goal following Dolly’s delivery from the left wing.
But the scoring wasn’t over as Hlatshwayo scored with an acrobatic overhead kick just seconds after Ajax’s second goal. But it was all too late as Ajax took the spoils 2-1.
Ajax Cape Town (1) 2 (Morris 14’ Mzwakali 90’)
Bidvest Wits 0 1 (Hlatshwayo 90’)
Teams
Ajax: Jaakkola, Allie, Mobara, Coetzee, Lebusa, Graham, Morris, Scott (D Isaacs 87’), Dolly (Lolo 90’), Norodien (Mzwakali 78’), Paulse
Wits: Josephs, Kwakman, Hlatshwayo, Mkhwanazi, Ntshangase, Nhlapo, Shongwe, Vilakazi, Doutie (Kebede 76’), Faty (Motshwari 31’), Ngcobo (Fikru 66’)
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