Moseamedi brace gives Stellenbosch FC upper hand over Citizens
CAPE TOWN – Stellenbosch FC promised they mean business this season and they delivered on the promise with a roaring 3-0 victory over neighbours Cape Town City in the eKapa derby at the Athlone Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The victory propelled Steve Barker’s team to the summit of the DStv Premiership log.
It was former City striker Judas Moseamedi that came back to haunt his previous employers with a second half-brace to go with Alan Robertson’s first half goal.
The trip back up the N1 to the winelands will certainly be a pleasant one for the visitors as they were thoroughly dominant in this first eKapa derby of the season.
It was, in fact, City who had the first real opportunity when captain Thamsanqa Mkhize played in Abdul Jeleel Ajagu. However, the Nigerian attacker’s shot went wide of the post.
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With Stellenbosch surviving the close attempt, they settled into a rhythm and forced a corner on the half-hour, but the impressive Nathan Fasika dealt with the danger for City through a good clearing header.
The home side were not so fortunate two minutes later, though, when Stellenbosch forced another corner. Argentine forward Junior Mendietta flung in another deep cross which Mogamad De Goede headered down into the path of Alan Robertson for the substitute to fire it past Hugo Marques from close range to put Stellies 1-0 ahead.
Just before halftime, Stellenbosch could have increased their advantage even further, but Stanley Dimgba’s shot flashed fractionally wide after the Nigerian intelligently cut past City left-back Terrence Mashego.
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City finally had an opportunity of their own when on the stroke of the whistle Mashego whipped in a cross from the left flank that found an unmarked Tashreeq Morris inside Stellenbosch’s small box.
The lanky striker was back-peddling, though, when the cross came in and could not get any power on his header, although it was on target forcing Stellies goalkeeper Lee Langeveldt to make his first save of the afternoon.
In a bid to get back into the game, City coach Eric Tinkler brought on Craig Martin at half-time for Fagrie Lakay in the hope that Martin’s express pace would give the Stellenbosch defence something to ponder over.
The change of tempo almost immediately reaped the rewards when City nearly levelled matters after Zitha Macheke’s attempted clearing header from Abbubaker Mobara’s corner ricocheted against the Stellies upright. It was ping-pong from that moment as the ball went from the post straight into Morris’s chest, but the ball fell safely into Langeveldt's arms.
Stellenbosch, though, were galvanised by their good fortune as they immediately went in search of a second goal when a powerful header from Stanley Dimgba hit Mduduzi Mdantsane’s chest on the line.
They had another chance to double the lead shortly afterwards when Fasika produced a timely intervention to stop Mendietta from having a clear shot on goal.
However, Moseamedi’s introduction in the final quarter of the match proved to be a masterstroke from Barker, as the former City forward showed his experience and composure when he firstly beat Marques to a 50-50 ball for his first goal before closing out the match with neatly taken second goal on fulltime.
The season still has a long way to go, but for the meantime it’s the men from Stellenbosch that own the football bragging rights in the Mother City with their second consecutive victory over their more-fancied neighbours.