28 Jan 2020

Debswana First Division North log leaders, Sua Flamingoes were made to sweat for a point as they were held to a one-all draw by marauding Calendar Stars during a league game at the Francistown Old Stadium on Sunday.

Perched at the top of the league summit with 29 points after 13 games, the Botash mine outfit put on a lethargic display for a team that harboured ambitions of playing in the elite league next season.

Flamingoes are leading Nico United, who have accumulated 26 points by three, while Eleven Angels are third with 21 points.

Calendar Stars, playing in their home turf were the first on the blocks asking difficult questions to the visitors’ defence with an offensive strategy.

The Flamingoes defence proved to its Achilles heel as they were continually raided with little resistance.

Stars now sit at position four with 20 points. 

As early as the 10^th minute, Calendar Stars’ Vincent Marumo unleashed a rocket of a blistering shot on target, forcing Flamingoes keeper, Andrew Race into acrobatics, which saved his team.

The home side continued to enjoy the lion’s share of possession as they dictated the pace of the game, despite the visitors looking dangerous on the rare occasions they ventured forward.

Matlhogonolo Manko missed the chance to give his side an early goal as he squandered a well delivered cross, blasting his effort over the crossbar.

However, the home team’s lapse of concentration towards the end of the first half allowed the log leaders to come back into the game for which they were handsomely rewarded when Rebaone Modisaotsile scored an opener in the 44^th minute.

Modisaotsile could have added a second immediately had he not been goal shy.

In the second half, Stars came back blowing hot as they launched attack after attack only to be let down by their strikers’ lack of composure in front of goals.

Race in Flamingoes goal posts was the busier of the two keepers parrying an avalanche of shots at close range as his team tried to protect a 1-0 lead, a dangerous strategy that they came to regret.

The Flamingoes defensive structure posed some flaws as Stars strikers kept their defenders on the back foot with little forays into Nsala Mosinyi’s goal posts.

Stars were also unlucky to equalise after Charles Mabuse hit the crossbar with a well taken shot after an exchange of quick passes in the Flamingoes danger zone.

Against the run of play, Kago Kaizer managed to draw level with a well taken pile driver, which gave Race no chance after rounding of the defence.

That was a result of a quick sweeping move that involved three Stars forwards who had been putting a lot of pressure on the log leaders’ defence.

After the goal, Stars dominated play, showing class and quality in building their attacks in a sequence. ENDS