THE FNB Women’s Super League title race will go down to the wire heading into the final weekend after defending champions NDF Mighty Gunners Ladies retained top spot following two important victories on Saturday and Sunday.
Mighty Gunners returned to the summit on 53 points after defeating Mighty Angels FC 5-0 and African Stars Queens 2-0, keeping FC Ongos Ladies one point behind with only one round of fixtures left to play.
Ongos surrendered their lead at the top after being held to a goalless draw by Unam Bokkies on Saturday, but they kept the pressure on the defending champions after securing a crucial 2-0 away victory over Arrows Ladies on Sunday to move onto 52 points.
Ongos coach Shammah Gure admitted that the draw against Unam changed the complexion of the title race, but says his side remains focused heading into the final match of the season.
“We didn’t expect an easy game today after a disappointing outcome yesterday that changed the reality on the table,” Gure said after the victory over Arrows Ladies on Sunday.
“What it means is we’ve given up position number one and we are currently second on the table, one point behind the log leaders. It’s not a nice place to be considering we had it all figured out,” he says.
Gure says his side paid the price for failing to convert chances against Unam.
“When you don’t utilize your chances, that is the consequence of it. We failed to capitalise on all the opportunities we created,” he says.
Despite dropping to second place, the Ongos coach believes the title race is still wide open going into the final round of fixtures.
“Football is a very funny story. Anything can happen going into the last game,” Gure says.
The battle for the league crown will now go down to the final weekend, with Mighty Gunners holding a slender advantage heading into the closing fixtures of the campaign.
Mighty Gunners have now won 17 of their 21 matches this season and continue to boast the league’s strongest attack after scoring 76 goals while conceding only 13.
Ongos, however, remain firmly in contention and continue to hold the league’s best defensive record after conceding only eight goals in 21 matches.
Elsewhere, Khomas Nampol Ladies strengthened their grip in the third place after defeating VPower Angels 3-1 to move onto 39 points.
Unam Bokkies and Julinho Athletic Ladies played to an entertaining 2-2 draw, leaving Unam fourth on 36 points, one point ahead of African Stars Queens in fifth.
Windhoek City SC bounced back strongly from their defeat to African Stars Queens on Saturday by thrashing Mighty Angels FC 4-0 on Sunday.
At the bottom end of the table, the fate of the second from bottom team on the log, Nust Babes, was sealed after their 4-0 drubbing by Khomas Nampol on Saturday. Babes, however, collected only their third victory of the season after defeating fellow relegation threatened side Desert Foxes 1-0 on Sunday.
Desert Foxes’ miserable season also continued after suffering their 20th defeat in 21 matches, leaving them still without a single win this season.
With one weekend of football remaining, all attention will now shift to the title showdown between Mighty Gunners and Ongos as both sides prepare for a tense finish to the season.
Ongos will play Julinho Athletic Ladies while Mighty Gunners take on Windhoek City on the final day of the season.
