Ajax Cape Town head coach Roger De Sa described the NMMU Madibaz as “decent and formidable opponents” after their friendly in George on Saturday.
The PSL side ran out comfortable 4-0 winners but De Sa added that the game was “exactly what we (Ajax) needed.”
The scoreline suggests the Madibaz were completely outplayed by their PSL opponents but that was not the case. It took Ajax 36 minutes to get onto the scoreboard before easing into the half-time break with a comfortable 3-0 lead.
The second half saw the Madibaz earn an early penalty but the chance to get a goal back went begging. This early chance, coupled with more missed opportunities was the difference between the sides. The students were punished for their missed chances as Ajax scored their fourth and final goal of the game.
It wasn’t all gloom for the gents from PE as their coach, Graeme Harrison, was impressed with the manner in which his side carried themselves.
“We made a few technical mistakes and Ajax, being a PSL side, capitalised on it. I also think that we showed them a little too much respect in the first half which contributed to the final result,” he said.
Despite these mistakes, Harrison was impressed with the way his side played and handled themselves against the PSL side.
“Everyone who took part in the game showed commitment and guts. We are on track with our progress and I can’t fault the guys for their efforts,” he added.
Next up for the students will be an encounter against Amakhosi at the NMMU Stadium on Thursday 17 July.
