Black Poison survive Opopo scare to win 5-3 in their U19 fixture
From 3-1 up to 3-3 all square, Black Poison needed late goals to fend off Opopo’s fightback.
Alex Black Poison U19 needed every bit of their first-half momentum to survive a late fightback from Opopo FC during their Alexandra Northrand Local Football Association (ANLFA) U19 league fixture at 3 Square Sports Grounds on Sunday.
Although Black Poison eventually secured a 5-3 victory, the win was not straightforward. Their early 3-1 lead evaporated as Opopo clawed back to 3-3 in the second half, forcing the hosts to regroup before striking twice late on to seal the points.
Black Poison was rampant in the opening 45 minutes, racing into a commanding lead and looking in control. But the second half was different. Opopo came out swinging and closed the two-goal deficit, leaving Black Poison rattled before they found two late goals to seal the points.
Read more: Relentless attacks seal Opopo FC’s commanding win over Loyo Stars
Black Poison coach Phathutshedzo Maseko was honest about what went wrong after the break. “Our defenders were losing focus. That is why we created two unnecessary penalties. So it was a loss of focus, and since they are still young, I think fitness levels,” he said, reflecting on his side’s second-half dip.
But it could have been worse. Opopo missed a penalty, which would have given them a 4-3 lead.
This, according to Maseko, was a wake-up call his side needed. “It was only after they missed the penalty that we got the energy to go and get another goal. So that did help us,” he said.
Despite the scare, Maseko said he was pleased with how his side started the match, singling out the first-half performance as excellent.
Also read: Mhlaba FC remains optimistic even after 2-1 loss to Opopo FC
Opopo coach Brian Mavhungu, however, said the result was a hard one to take given how much of the game his side controlled. “We were in control of the game for the whole second half. First half, same thing, we made mistakes, and there were miscommunications between the goalkeeper and centre-back,” he said.
Those early errors carried into the second half, compounded by conceding two further goals and an inability to convert a flurry of chances.
“We created more than 20 or 30 chances, and we even missed the penalty on top of that. I would say the scoreline does not reflect the game,” he said.
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