Stars shoot down Birds

AFRICAN Stars had the last say when they pipped Blue Waters 1-0 just two minutes before the final whistle in an MTC Premiership match at the Sam Nujoma Stadium on Saturday evening.

Bobby Samaria’s men laboured to break through a rigid Blue Waters defence after a wave of attacks especially in the second half, while the coastal outfit also had numerous chances that went astray.Stars’ star midfielder Rudi Louw rose to the occasion when needed to strike a stunning volley that gave Blue Waters goalkeeper Banana Shekupe no chance.Stars’ midfield workhorse Ninja Karongee was responsible for the sweet cross that caused the goal, sending the Stars fans into raptures.The first half ended in a 0-all stalemate and produced little spark and ultimately did not excite the few hundred supporters who came to see what was dubbed the match of the weekend.But the second half delivered several tense moments for both sides as they pushed to the front in search of goals and for Stars, Ikauterua Tjozongoro, Gazza Tjazerua and Shaun Kamatuka were all guilty of not taking their chances.Tjozongoro at one stage peeled off clear from his marker and did not manage to even hit the target as he was only left with the approaching Shekupe.Blue Waters coach Lucky Shipanga had Bolle Haraseb, Kulu Hawala and Wycliff Kambonde.at his disposal to make an impact, but they all fell short of what was expected from them.Kambonde, who formerly played for Jomo Cosmos in South Africa, hit the post via a free-kick, while Haraseb also failed to slot in another ball from close range as his strike hit the post.Veteran Blue Waters defender Fischer Kalimba kept a consistent display throughout, but his pace counted against him slightly as Louw and his front men quick-stepped him in pursuit of goals. Brave Warriors defender Gottlieb Nakuta delivered a superb performance for Blue Waters and showed his ruthlessness in the box by giving the Stars strikers virtually no chance to manoeuvre.MAGICAL JACOBSStars’ supreme tactician, Quinton ‘Magic’ Jacobs, had a blinder in midfield as usual, but his awesome vision was somehow curtailed by the slow responses from his team mates. Jacobs shows amazing skill when in control of the ball and brings a cool, calm and collected nature to the pace of the game, while he also stands out also largely due to his imposing figure.Stars moved into third spot on the log, joining the Birds on 15 points – two points behind log leaders Orlando Pirates who smoked out Hotspurs 2-1 on Thursday night.* Black Africa recorded the biggest win on the weekend when they effectively dismissed Oshakati City 5-2 away in the north.Black Africa’s commanding goal poacher Jerome Louis struck twice, while further goals came from Willie Stephanus, Clarence Foroma and Gift Kwaramba.* Rundu-based United Stars turned on the screws on the beleaguered Ramblers side by pushing them into a 2-all draw at the Ramblers Stadium, while Tigers lost their great momentum when they were sunk 1-0 by Eleven Arrows at the coast.Arrows striker Muna Katupose gave Ronnie Kanalelo his first victory of the season through a second half goal that saw Tigers never recovering.Kanalelo and his team played almost 80 per cent of their matches away since the start of the season and made good use of their home match to record a much needed win against Tigers which is currently in uncompromising form.* Civics continued with their poor run when they were trounced 2-1 by Sport Klub Windhoek (SKW) on Friday night in Olympia.Sledge Gowaseb caused the misery for Civics in the final stages of the match, after his team mate Milton Chapo scored earlier on. Pineas Jacobs scored the lone goal for the consecutive triple league champions, who are currently finding themselves in ninth spot after seven matches. Civics only have one win, a draw and five losses, a record which reads extremely unimpressive for both coach Ricardo Mannetti and his chairman, Helmuth Scharnowski, known to be highly ambitious characters.corry@namibian.com.na