Tinkler fuming after Citizens donate points

Cape Town City: 2 (Mdantsane 1, 62)

TS Galaxy: 2 (Macuphu 3, Lekay 89)

ERIC Tinkler was left fuming on the side of the touchline as he could only look on after his Cape Town City team again gifted away two DStv Premiership points at Mbombela Stadium.

City were held to a 2-2 all draw and had to be content with taking only one point from a match they had controlled throughout.

“Two stupid decisions. Absolutely poor!” a visibly irate Tinkler said afterwards. “The first error maybe you can understand, but then you sell yourself again. It should have been an easy win for us today, so I am extremely disappointed.

“Especially for a player of that calibre and that experience can’t be making those mistakes. You can’t be serious. We controlled the match to be brutally honest. We started like a house on fire. We got caught in the only way they could hurt us which was on the counter, which I explained at half-time was disappointing.

“But talk is cheap. Results is what counts. Winning games is what counts. The players need to realise that. The player that came on didn’t do that. It cost it for everyone and you can see the disappointment on everyone’s faces,” added the former Bafana hardman.

The Citizens enjoyed 57% of the possession and had numerous chances to bury the match that had started with a manic three minutes.

City shocked their hosts when midfielder Mduduzi Mdantsane struck a volley into the net for the visitors to storm into a 1-0 lead in the first minute.

The goal seemed to awake Galaxy from their slumber as Mxolisi Macuphu equalised two minutes later for the Rockets from close range.

For the next hour City took control of the game through their slick passing and movement off the ball. The width created down the flanks through the electric pace of Bradley Ralani and Craig Martin had Galaxy in all sorts of trouble.

They almost replicated their first-minute goal in the second half when Martin thought he had tucked away City’s second goal immediately after the resumption. However, Martin had drifted marginally off-side prior to collecting the pass from Ralani.

City though were not to be denied and deserved their second goal despite being a touch fortunate after Galaxy goalkeeper Vasilije Kolak could only parry Fagrie Lakay’s shot into the path of the advancing Mdantsane. The Serbian shot-stopper should have done better and could only look on as Mdantsane tapped home his second goal.

Mdantsane failed to complete his hattrick two minutes later when the ball fell at his feet in a prime position, but the Bafana Bafana midfielder ballooned over the bar from the edge of the box.

The lack of killer instinct in front of goal came back to haunt City at the death when Galaxy substitute Wayde Lekay completed a smash-and-grab for the hosts. He finished off a move that had started from the halfway on the stroke of full-time.

City substitute Thabo Ndoda has to take plenty of the blame for the Galaxy equaliser. The experienced midfielder rushed into a tackle and completely missed it, which created the space for the Rockets to launch their decisive attack.