Township Rollers captain Marcel Papama says the 3-0 win over 10-man Extension Gunners was harder than the scoreline suggested, as his two goals underlined progress in front of goal.
GAZETTE REPORTER
Township Rollers captain Marcel Papama says his side had to work for Sunday’s 3-0 victory over Extension Gunners, despite playing most of the match with a numerical advantage.
Gunners goalkeeper Kabelo Dambe was sent off in the 17th minute for handling the ball outside the penalty area, but Rollers still struggled to break down a defence that dropped into a low block.
“It wasn’t an easy game,” Papama said in a post-match interview. “We found it difficult to break them because with being one man down they will be in a low block.”
Early Red
Dambe’s dismissal left Gunners to play the remaining 73 minutes with 10 men.
Rollers, however, went into halftime without scoring, with head coach Oupa Kowa unhappy with his team’s response to the numerical advantage.
“Horrible first half. I was not happy in the first half. They got a red card, and our performance after that was disappointing,” Kowa said.
The coach said a halftime discussion helped change the team’s performance after the break.
“We went to the dressing room. A few words were said, and that changed a lot of things,” he said.
Second-Half Shift
Seven minutes after halftime, Papama broke the deadlock to give Rollers the lead.
He struck again in the 86th minute before Onkarabile Ratanang completed the scoring in the 90th minute, curling a free-kick into the net.
For Papama, the match also provided evidence of progress in front of goal.
“The goals I scored, I always try and I think I’m getting there in terms of perfecting which technique to use and at least today I managed to put it to perfection,” he said.
Gunners Resist
Gunners coach Paradazayi Madivenga said Dambe’s dismissal changed the match, describing the goalkeeper as “our pillar of strength at the back”.
His side suffered another setback when one of its experienced defenders was injured and had to be substituted.
“We conceded the first goal at a critical time,” Madivenga said. “We thought if we could hold them to the 75th minute then we are fine.”
Gunners will now turn their attention to their next fixture.
“Now it’s to go to the drawing board and prepare for the next game,” Madivenga said.