Stars outmuscle Pirates

AFRICAN Stars dethroned rivals Orlando Pirates from the summit with a 2-0 win to go a point clear in the MTC Premiership on Friday night.

Stars are now on top on 21 points after nine matches, followed by Pirates on 20, while Black Africa are in third on 18.Pirates, who seemed to be the team to beat for the past two weeks, had to play second fiddle to an upbeat Stars side which blitzed them with goals via Henry Somseb and Heinrich Kazerua.Namibia Sport reports that the match had all the drama of a derby and attracted possibly the biggest crowd of the season of close to 6 000 spectators. Pirates defender Ivan Makina got a red card after a second bookable offence as he brought down Rudi Louw in the box.Stars midfielder Quinton Jacobs came close early on, when his shot was well saved by Athiel Mbaha, while Pirates’ young striker Theophelus Tsowaseb missed a great chance when he beat the defence but could not control a centre into the box.Jacobs once again came close for Stars when he shot over the bar from a Stars corner, before Stars took a controversial lead on 23m.Striker Henry Somseb broke free into Pirates’ box after exchanging passes with Heinrich Kazerua, but he seemed to handle the ball before shooting past Mbaha, but Pirates’ protestations were ignored and the goal stood. Pirates came out attacking in the second half and had numerous opportunities to level the score, with Tsowaseb and second-half replacements Edward Damaseb and Sydney Urikhob coming close. But Stars weathered the storm and increased their lead on 72m when Ivan Makina fouled Rudi Louw in Pirates’ box.Blue Waters recorded a crucial 2-all draw against Black Africa in their encounter on Saturday, also in Windhoek, a result that still keeps the coastal outfit in the top five bracket after they led the opening matches of the season.Eleven Arrows were subjected to a 1-0 defeat by Oshakati City in northern Namibia, a result that will not go down well with the team’s faithful and their owner Johnny Doëseb.Arrows head coach Ronnie Kanalelo has been under immense pressure to produce results this season, but his players, who appear to have all the skills and talent, have let him down.Sport Klub Windhoek (SKW) recorded the biggest victory of the season when they romped to a 9-3 victory. The goals from the Olympia-based outfit came in a flurry and the Rundu-based side had no ability to contain the pressure. That result pushed SKW’s goal tally to 17 in total, the third highest in the league after Black Africa (20) and Orlando Pirates (19). Tigers were held to a goalless draw by Ramblers on Thursday night and Ramblers are still winless after nine matches.Tigers striker Tangeni Shipahu could have secured victory for his side if he had not missed a spot kick that was awarded.Hotspurs forced Civics to a 4-all draw in another high-scoring match in midweek. – Additional Reporting by Namibia Sport .corry@namibian.com.na