Norwood Young Stars coach Liyabona Ntlalukana said his players failed to sustain their attacking intensity and score more goals in their recent clash against Alex Black Poison at the Altrec Sports Centre.

Although Norwood secured three points with a narrow 3–2 victory, Ntlalukana admitted he was not pleased with the scoreline. He felt his side could have scored more and kept a clean sheet. “The message was that in the first half, we need to start with the same tempo and get the goals. If we got the fourth goal, we would have killed the game. It would have been decided,” he said.

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Ntlalukana explained that his players grew too comfortable after taking the lead, which nearly allowed Black Poison to equalise. “Once they conceded, Alex Black Poison got the momentum, and our momentum died. That’s where the difference was. They gained belief, and we started feeling the pressure. That’s how it almost became easier for them to come back,” he added.

Despite the win, both sides left the pitch unsatisfied with the outcome of the Anlfa U17 fixture. Black Poison coach Phathutshedzo Maseko watched his team buckle under Norwood’s relentless first-half pressure. “The first goal was conceded unnecessarily, and the players started blaming each other and fighting among themselves,” Maseko said.

About 30 minutes in, Norwood’s Legadime Mamoepa doubled the lead, before Junior Makunyane added a third, beating goalkeeper Wandile Sokanyile. Maseko blamed his players’ squabbles for the collapse. “We conceded the second and third goals because they were busy fighting, pointing fingers. That’s why in the first half we could not focus properly.” At halftime, Maseko’s directive steadied his team. They came out stronger, punishing Norwood in an intense bid to equalise.

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Norwood’s defence, solid in the first half, began to falter. Black Poison’s Alec Mailula struck twice, finally beating goalkeeper Mndeni Mathenjwa, who had been sharp in denying one-on-one chances earlier in the game. The 3–2 scoreline left Ntlalukana frustrated. While his side claimed victory, he stressed that goal difference mattered just as much as points.
“The goal difference also matters. Goals like these can haunt us in situations where we have the same number of points as another team but lose out because of a single goal.” Norwood may have won, but their coach believes they missed the chance to truly kill the game.”

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