Win boosts Stars' chances to face Al Ahly
Platinum Stats beat Reunion's Stade Tamponnaise with 2-0, thanks to goals by Steve Lekoelea and Hareaipha Marumo. The Tycoons were the better team in this MTN African Champions League second round, first leg encounter, despite Tamponnaise making life difficult thanks to their very defensive 4-5-1 system. The Reunion-based club obviously travelled to Rustenburg's Olympia Park with a draw on their minds. Tamponnaise played well-organised and tactically disciplined soccer combined with a highly physical approach to their game, often just looking for the counter-attack to score a goal. However, Stars' Lekoelea disrupted Tamponnaise's defensive plans in the 61st minute, thanks to a brilliantly taken free kick, curving the ball over the wall into the goal's left corner. Coach Miguel Gamondi gave the 29-year-old midfielder an opportunity to start and, after a quiet first half, Lekoelea came to life in the second episode. Due to Tamponnaise's defensive approach, Gamondi already made a change to his line-up in the 40th minute, replacing left-back Joseph Mkalipa, who did not overlap or make too many threatening runs forward, with striker Marumo, moving from a 4-4-2 to a more attacking 3-4-3 formation. It certainly helped. Marumo also scored with a brilliant header the second goal in the 76th minute, after a fine cross by Tshepo Ramokala. The scoreline could even have been higher if, for example, Koketso Mmotong, George Mofokeng and Phumudzo Manenzhe would have taken their chances. Striker Luis Renteria did not play because he has not been registered for the MTN African Champions League. Good performances came from Ramokala on the left flank and defender Sailor Tshabalala, where a lot of the play from the back originated from. Stars' 2-0 win gives the team an excellent opportunity to qualify for the next round, when, in all probability, they will have to face Egypt's champions Al Ahly. "I'm happy with the win," reflected Stars coach Gamondi, "although I would have preferred to have scored more goals. Tamponnaise plays very differently from most PSL teams, more like European clubs; combining physical strength and a lot of balls were kicked high up the field to their sole striker, with tactical discipline." On the possibility of facing Al Ahly in the third round, Gamondi commented: "Obviously, we still have to play the away match in Reunion. But if we manage to qualify for the third round, the Al Ahly encounter will definitely be the Game of the Year!" The return match against Tamponnaise will be on Sunday, April 6 in Reunion. Platinum Stars line-up (4-4-2): Kapini; Khaile, Tshabalala, Mofokeng, Mkalipa (Marumo 40'); Lekoelea (Makgopela 80'), Mathe, Williams, Ramokala; Mmotong, Manenzhe (Masanabo 75') Match report by Ernest Landheer/Backpagepix
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