By CHRIS TOTOBELA
A few fans braved the chilly and wet weather for the opening game of the New Year’s Cup 2022 on Christmas Day at the 6SAI Battalion field.
Both teams started the game well, showing their intentions. Maru spread their passes around the field but were casual at times. Most of their passes were in their half and hardly threatened the opponents.
Their Alicedale-based opponents, Ayeza Amanzi, came with a very effective game plan, absorbing pressure, waiting for Maru to make mistakes and hitting them on the counter.
Just after 20 minutes, Maru’s defence was caught in sixes and sevens and was punished by Lihle Mlilo, who was left unmarked in the box with acres of space to slot the ball home.
Maru came back into the game and created their own chances but misfired in front of goals.
Ayeza Amanzi hit the crossbar with less than five minutes left in the half, with the keeper well beaten. Ayeza took their slender lead to the halftime break.
Both teams made some changes in the second half, but Maru did not change their approach to the game, as they sometimes played too many passes and overdid it. They developed nice, patient build-ups but always fumbled in the last third of the field where it mattered most.
Azola Boma kept Maru’s defence busy from the first whistle, and if he had released the ball quicker to his teammates, the home side’s deficit could have been worse. But he decided to be selfish most of the time.
Boma finally put a nail into Maru’s coffin when he cut inside before unleashing a thunderous shot that left the goalminder helpless.
The home side seemed to run out of ideas and just played the game out. Ayeza Amanzi started showboating to entertain the small crowd. The long-awaited final whistle sounded to the relief of the home side.
One could not help but imagine what the impact of a packed JD Dlepu stadium might have had to lift the spirits of the home side.
It is back to the drawing board for Maru.
