WINDHOEK - ‘’90 per cent of the league title will be decided on Thursday if we beat African Stars,” an upbeat Black Africa coach Paulus Shipanga said following their 3-1 victory over Tura Magic at the weekend.
While second-placed Stars made sure to keep up the pressure on table-toppers Africa with a narrow 1-0 win over rivals Orlando Pirates on Saturday, Shipanga’s in-form charges responded in perfect fashion keeping up momentum with a resounding 3-1 victory over Magic on Sunday at the Sam Nujoma Stadium.
“Today was one of those games where we needed to win knowing very well that Stars won their game in Otjiwarongo on Saturday, which put more pressure on us going against Tura Magic. We tried to contain them and frustrate them (Magic) which showed with the errors they made,’’ he pointed out.
Magic coach Fortune Eichab expressed disappointment with the 3-1 defeat, saying: “We cost us the game with two silly mistakes in the first half and another mistake in the second half. All goals were our faults but we need to regroup and try and finish in the top four because destiny is in our hands now.’’
“I am trying to rotate my team a little bit to avoid fatigue and I am happy that they are giving me the results. At the moment we do not need to play attractive football as all that matters is grinding the three points from each game we play,” he said.
Shipanga added that their match against African Stars Thursday night will be the deciding factor for this year’s league winners.
“All that matters now is the three points from whoever we play and our match against African Stars will be the decider. On Thursday we will know if the title will go to the wire or the winner will be crowned with two games to go,” he said.
With 24 matches played, Black Africa thus far are six points ahead of African Stars on the log standings with 54 points, while African Stars are second with 48 points.
Tura Magic are third on the log standings with 41 points from 24 games, while Otjiwarongo-based Life Fighters are fourth on the log on 37 points from 23 matches. Unam FC lock up the top five positions with 35 points from 23 matches.
– Additional info: Nampa