Akpabio scores for Ajax

Nigerian striker, George Akpabio, came off the bench to score his first goal for the team during Sunday's 2-0 road trip victory at Maritzburg United.

Ajax Cape Town racked up their fifth successive Absa Premiership win with the 2-0 triumph at the Harry Gwala Stadium.

Akpabio scored the crucial opening goal of the game with just 12 minutes to play, before the excellent Khama Billiat added a second late on, handing the Urban Warriors a victory which pushes them up to fourth place on the table.

The Team of Choice remain in 11th place, with this being their first defeat (and home match) in the second tenure of ‘new’ coach Ernst Middendorp.

Ajax were handed a headache before kick-off when veteran defender Matthew Booth, listed in the original starting XI, picked up a knee injury in warm-up and had to be replaced by Brett Evans.

The late change seemed to upset Ajax’s rhythm and in particular their shape at the back. The home side dominated proceedings and created the better scoring opportunities in the first half, though they found goalkeeper Sander Westerveld in inspired form.

The Dutchman made several fine saves, two around the half-hour mark which were absolutely top drawer. First he tipped a superbly-executed volley from Kurt Lentjies over the top, and a few minutes later he did just enough to deflect a Michael Morton screamer onto the crossbar.

Morton, along with Kulegani Madondo and Jabulani Ncubeni, was really bossing the game in midfield, making the Urban Warriors’ George Maluleka and Nhlanhla Vilakazi spend most of their time tracking back to help out in defence – as a result, the Cape side offered little threat going forward.

Their only real attacking highlight came on the stroke of half time when Evans had a chance to show off his dead-ball skill. The Ajax man curled a great shot on target from a free kick just outside the penalty area, but Maritzburg’s Shu-Aib Walters was equal to the effort.

The Urban Warriors started the second half strongly and twice came close to taking the lead before the hour mark. On 52 minutes Maluleka surged forward from midfield to put himself in a good shooting position only to drag his effort wide of Walters’s right-hand post.

Seven minutes later Khama Billiat almost produced a brilliant solo goal out of nowhere, twisting and turning into space just outside the Maritzburg penalty area before firing a shot just wide of the target, with the goalkeeper seemingly beaten.

On 73 minutes Billiat and Vilakazi combined well to set the latter up with a shooting chance, but his low effort was well saved by Walters, who was definitely the busier of the two goalkeepers in the second stanza.

Walters, however, was helpless to stop Ajax breaking the deadlock on the 78th minute, as new Nigerian striker George Akpabio latched onto a clever flick-on from Billiat and coolly finished from close range for his first goal in the PSL.

Maritzburg were mere centimetres away from an equaliser in the 88th minute, as substitute Wayne Matle had Sandilands completely beaten with a superb chip, but the ball rebounded kindly off the underside of the crossbar.

The visitors counter attacked directly from that close shave and duly made it 2-0, with Billiat taking advantage of Maritzburg’s lack of numbers in defence to score the goal that his individual performance richly deserved.

Maritzburg United 0

Ajax Cape Town (0) 2 (Akpabio 78’, Billiat 88’)

Maritzburg: Walters; Petersen, Hendricks, Diouf, Evans, Lentjies, Madondo, Morton (Matle 83’), Ncubeni (Malajila 63’), Olomu (M. Davids 63’), Sibisi

Ajax: Westerveld; Lolo, Allie, Evans, Jenniker, Julius (Akpabio 66’), Vilakazi, Maluleka, Alexander, Carelse (van Graan 74’), Billiat (Hlatshwayo 90+2’)