Durban City showed their mettle to recover from going a goal down against Magesi FC to record a 3-1 Betway Premiership win at the Chatsworth Stadium on Saturday night.
In front of a great turn out from the home supporters, second half goals for Samkelo Maseko, Saziso Magawana and Letsie Koapeng made it a memorable evening in Chatsworth.
There had been a lively start to the game as home keeper Darren Keet was called into action with only a minute on the clock, the stopper doing very well with a point-blank save.
City began to grow into the contest after that and looked set to take the lead in the 18th minute after a lovely flowing move, but it wasn’t to be as Haashim Domingo pulled his parting shot from the edge of the area just left of the upright.
There was another chance for the home team 10 minutes later when Maseko jinked inside and let rip with a powerful shot, which was saved by Magesi keeper Elvis Chipezeze.
It was therefore somewhat against the run of play that the visiting side went ahead; Wonderboy Makhubu steering in a far post header with deadly accuracy, following Kgomotso Mosadi’s 29th minute cross.
City nearly managed to hit back moments later when Domingo latched onto a half-volley, only to be denied by a fine reflex save by Chipezeze.
Unable to unlock a stubborn Magesi defend, the KwaZulu-Natal team came out with renewed efforts in the second stanza. And their energy and endeavour was rewarded in the 50th minute when a slick move down the left ended in a defence-splitting pass for Maseko, who side-footed the ball into the back of the net with a first-time effort.
A few minutes later and Durban City were again on the attack with Trevor Mokwena sprinting clear through on goal, but the score-line remained even as Chipezeze came flying off his line to make the block.
After a couple of half chances for either side, the hosts were ever so close to going ahead when some riveting interplay between Koapeng and Mokwena ended in the latter thumping a drive against the crossbar.
Soon after, the sizeable home crowd were off their feet again when Kyle Jurgens stepped in to win the ball near the half-way line before switching play and putting Maseko in on goal, the shot from a tight angle whistling just over.
Finally, City got the breakthrough they had worked so hard for, when Magawana received possession out on the left flank in the 77th minute, working his way inside before unleashing a shot from 20-yards which curled into the roof of the net.
The victory was sealed three minutes before the end of regulation time when the ever-dangerous Maseko fired in a low shot – which was palmed away by Chipezeze – allowing Koapeng to react smartly as he turned and deftly lifted the ball over the Magesi keeper and into the net.
