08. South Africa v Nigeria Jan 22, 2009 14H30 Nyamirambo (Kigali City)
12. Egypt v South Africa Jan 25, 2009 14H30 Nyamirambo (Kigali City)

Wie de wedstrijd gemist heeft, op de volgende dagen volgt er een herkansing.

Ajax crash as Swallows score

Bron: ajaxct.co.za

Ajax Cape Town suffered their first loss at the Athlone Stadium in more than 18 months when they lost 1-0 to Moroka Swallows on a balmy Saturday evening.
Ajax started the game well and settled quickly into their fast paced passing game and soon had Swallows on the back foot.

The Urban Warriors poured into the Birds half as they probed for the opening goal. Ajax threatened with Sameehg Doutie and Franklin Cale in the ascendency. The two Ajax wings fired over the crosses but their team-mates failed to take advantage.

Swallows rarely threatened and when they did the Ajax defence held firm with Eduardo Ferreira marking Sandile Ndlovu out of the game.

In the 25th minute a Brett Evans free-kick found Clayton Daniels but the Ajax defender shot had no punch. Late in the first half Brett Evans first a goal bound shot from outside the penalty area only to see Greg Etafia, pull-off a brilliant save to keep Swallows in the game.

Ajax started the second half in the same vein as the first and had the ball in the back of the Swallows net in within 7 minutes of the restart only for the linesman to raise his flag for an offside.

The home continued to apply the pressure but was unable to find their way through the Swallows defence. Joseph Masel often found space behind the visitors defence but was caught offside on a number of occasions.

Etafia was the busier of the two keepers and he was forced into action as Sifiso Vilikazi set his sights on the Birds goal. Then it was the turn of Selolwane and in the 65th minute he hit a fierce drive at the Swallows goal. The came off the arm of a Swallows defender but despite the protest of the Ajax players the match official waved play-on.

Then Masel broke clear after Etafia misjudged the flight of the ball, with an empty net beckoning Masel placed his shot wide.

Former Swallows midfielder Tsweu Mokoro made his Ajax debut when he came on in the 83rd minute for Sameehg Doutie as Ajax seached for the opening goal.

As the clock ran down in extra time and with a draw seeming to be the obvious result, Shaun Haschick robbed Eduardo Ferreira of the ball just outside the Ajax box. Haschick raced on to score, to the dismay of the Ajax defender.

Franklin Cale was voted as the ABSA Man of the Match for the second time in the last month, to crown a great week for the Ajax winger as he was selected as the ABSA December of the Month and he received his first Bafana call-up for the international friendly against Zambia Tuesday 27 January, 2009 at the Super Stadium.

Ajax earn a point at Athlone

Bron: ajaxct.co.za

The was no love between Ajax and Amazulu on Saturday February 14 2009, when the Urban Warriors was held to a goal-less draw at the Athlone Stadium.
Ajax made some changes to the side that lost to Celtic last week, in came Martin Carelse for Clayton Daniels, Thulani Serero for Sifiso Vilikazi and Granwald Scott for Dipsy Selolwane. The changes gave Ajax an added impetus going forward. Despite playing into the strong wind Ajax penned Amazulu in their own half for long periods of time.

Serero, fresh from his exploits with Amajita showed his class whenever in possession. He read the game well and used the ball with great maturity. The combination of Serero, Doutie and Scott gave the Usuthu defence problems with their quick interpassing that gave Khenyeza more space in the last quarter of the field.

Buoyed by a high percentage of possession due to the hard work of Nhlanhla Shabalala Ajax forced the Amazulu defenders into conceding free kicks just outside the box. A Brett Evans free-kick hit the wall in the 12th minute as Ajax took the game to Amazulu.

The decision to play Serero almost paid-off in the 23rd minute when his goal-bound shot flashed just wide of the post. Ajax poured forward in numbers in search of the opening goal but Kakonje Kalillilo in goal for Usuthu kept Ajax out.

However Kakonje almost presented Ajax the opener when he fumbled an Evans free-kick only for Serero to shot high over the cross-bar.

Ajax lost the services of Scott was he went down after a tough challenge and failed to recover and Selolwane came on to replace Scott in the 34th minute.

The second half saw much of the same action with Ajax pressing forward and Amazulu preferring to attack on the counter.

Substitute Cole Alexander missed a great opportunity to put the home side ahead but his header from a corner-kick flew just wide.

Amazulu forced a succession of corner in a rare attack but the defensive pairing of Carelse and Ferreira held firm.

Ajax continued to attack and Kakonje denied Selolwane three times in quick succession, then Ajax won three corners in the final minutes but could break the deadlock to snatch all three points.

Ajax find themselves on 32 points just five points off the top spot with 10 games still to play.

op de ranglijst.

Ik was een paar maanden geleden in Zuid-Afrika. Daar kwam ik in een of ander tijdschrift een artikel tegen over Doutie van Cape Town. Ze beschouwen hem daar als een heel groot talent en verwachtten dat hij over niet al te lange tijd de stap naar Europa, en waarschijnlijk Nederland zal maken. Ajax zou hem in de gaten houden (en dat mag je ook wel verwachten).

Hij is hier al eerder op stage geweest trouwens. Hele kleine rechtsbuiten is het.

AmaTuks Stun Ajax Cape Town To Reach Nedbank Cup Final

Bron: Goal.com

First Division side University of Pretoria beat Ajax Cape Town 2-1 after extra time in the semifinals of the Nedbank Cup.

Related LinksAll the goals in this entertaining clash were scored in extra-time. Tukkies will now face Moroka Swallows in the Nedbank Cup final on May 23. The cup tie was played at Johannesburg’s BidVest Wits Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The match started on an entertaining note with both sides creating chances thanks to their willingness to attack.

The biggest miss early came on from Urban Warriors striker Mabhuti Khenyeza, who took too long from close range and, as a result, was blocked by a defender from scoring the opening goal. Tukkies, however, continued to play good soccer and got the upper hand the further the first half progressed, creating two great chances to score.

Firstly, in the 19th minute, Tukkies’ Swazi striker, Phinda Dlamini, delivered a good ball from the left into the box. Thabo Moleko didn’t get the ball on target, but it then bounced off a defender in front of Mthokozisi Yende. The striker shot the ball wide of the post, while he should at least have tested Ajax keeper Andre Petim.

Shortly thereafter, the speedy Moleko entered the Urban Warriors from the right, but he forgot to pass the ball towards the penalty spot to a waiting team-mate. Instead, he went for personal glory trying to score. Ajax keeper Petim made a fine save. Moleko got another chance in the 38th minute, but again he failed to put the ball in the opponent’s net. First Division side Tukkies were by far the better side in the first half and deserved to have gone into the dressing with an advantage.

Ajax, the Premier League side, played counterattacking soccer, hoping that sooner or later their talisman Khenyeza would find the net. The second half started more or less like the first half finished, with Tukkies having the better play, always looking dangerous when one of their wingers, Moleko and Phenyo Mongala, had the ball. The central midfield of the Tshwane-based side also did well with Shafeeq Arendse and Andile Jele in control.

Pretoria of University substitute Thokozani Sekotlong got an opportunity in the 70th minute, but his shot went wide. Slowly, however, Ajax started to play a bit better and Nhlanhla Kubeka’s header wide from a corner. Another chance went wasted for Tukkies when Mongala delivered an excellent cross into the box from the right which came to Manti Moholo, but he also failed to hit the target.

It looked, however, as if the AmaTuks players, who had given so much already in the first half, got tired towards the end of the 90 minutes. The cup clash went into extra time and it was the University team that finally got their goal in the 97th minute thanks to their striker Yende.

However, that was also the time when Ajax finally seemed to wake up and they equalised four minutes later thanks to their defender Kubeka, scoring from close range.

But it was Moholo who gave Tuks the lead again in the 110th minute after some great work by Yende, who was also one of his side’s better players on the afternoon. In the end, AmaTuks deserved to go to the final of the Nedbank Cup, being the better team on the afternoon.

Ajax win to secure MTN8 berth

Bron: ajaxct.co.za

Ajax Cape Town finished off the 2008/9 season in grand style by beating Mamelodi Sundowns 2-0 in the own back yard, the Super Stadium to secure their place in the top eight. Goals by Siwahla and Serero and a fine performance by debutant Tawfeeq Salie ensured that Ajax claim all three points from this game.
The home side enjoyed a high percentage of possession in the early stanza of the game with Ajax content to attack on the counter. Both teams were cautious in their approach from the start however when Ajax pressed forward they posed the greater danger.

This pressure paid-off when Mkhanyiseli Siwahla pounced on a defensive lapse by Phelelane Mpangase and slotted the ball past Brian Baloyi in goal for Sundowns.

The remainder of the first half saw both teams try to out fox each other but debutant Tawfeeq Salie in goal for Ajax, kept his composure and saved well when called upon.

The second half saw the game open up as Sundowns searched for their first goal of the game. Sundowns brought on Sibusiso Zuma and Thuso Phala to give their attack some bite.

Ajax brought on Clayton Daniels for Siwahla, Serero for Vilikazi and Selolwane for Shabalala in order to cement the result.

Sundowns came back strong in the second half as chances fell to Gaxa and Phala but Salie again foiled their efforts, he pulled of a great save from Mbesuma that had goal written all over it.

Franklin Cale picked up where he left off against Pirates three days earlier, again showing touches of brilliance and blistering pace on the Ajax left. He was the provider when Thulani Serero sealed the result with a goal in the 90th minute to make the score 2-0 in favour of the Urban Warriors.

This win seals Ajax Cape Town a place in the MTN 8 competition that will take place early in the new 2009/2010 season.

'Craig Rosslee mogelijk nieuwe coach'

Bron: AS

Men moet meeleven met voormalig Ajax Cape Town coach Craig Rosslee. In slechts twee seizoenen leidde de 39-jarige Zuid-Afrikaan Ajax Cape Town naar een tweede plaats in de Zuid-Afrikaanse competitie en naar de Telkom Knockout Cup in december, maar toch moest hij vertekken.

Rosslee is jonger dan de meeste coaches in Zuid-Afrika, maar toch wist hij goede resultaten te behalen met de jonge spelersgroep die hij tot zijn beschikking heeft.

Het is dan ook geen verrassing dat hij zich op grotere en betere dingen gaat richten, wat een verandering is ten opzichte van de andere coaches die kiezen voor een langer verblijf in Mzansi.

Rosslee wordt de laatste tijd gelinkt aan Ajax Amsterdam om Europese ervaring op te doen. Het gaat waarschijnlijk om een jeugdteam, maar toch is het een stap in de goede richting om een coach te worden.

Ertugral – Ajax can achieve

Bron: kickoff.com

Muhsin Ertugral is looking forward to the arrival of seven foreign trialists to boost a squad he feels already “has the potential to achieve”.

But the former Kaizer Chiefs coach says the foreigners that the club sign must be better than what the club already has. He does not want to see an average foreign player coming in and blocking the growth of any youngsters coming through the system.

This strategy is echoed by chairman John Comitis who told KickOff.com that five of the foreigners are defensive midfielders.

“We’ve got five coming in because we are serious about finding a top class defensive midfielder. Eyong Enoh left a gap there and we want the same quality in his place,” the boss says.

Ertugral says Ajax have made their foreign requirements and says “you’ll be surprised at the quality of some of the players coming in”.

Regarding star players Eduardo Ferreira and Franklin Cale who have both been linked with transfers away from the club, Ertugral says they are staying.

“Remember I brought Eduardo here so I’m confident he’ll have a great season with us. He’s been a bit unsettled because maybe he sees how his former teammates Eyong and Bryce Moon are doing overseas.

“But you can’t move abroad when you’ve had a bad season. He knows it and will work hard,” Ertugral says.

“Franklin has his eyes on an overseas move and I believe he’ll continue to show himself this season no matter what. When he’s at his best and you add the likes of Mabhuti Khenyeza and Ferreira then you see a very competitive team taking shape.”

Regarding Hans Vonk, whom management believes will soon rejoin the Urban Warriors as a player, Ertugral is full of praise.

“With Hans we’ll see. I’ll obviously love to have a player like him in my team, but his services are needed in Holland so we’ll see what happens next week. I am confident that management will have something sorted out though,” he says.

Ajax lead chase for red-hot ‘Taribo’

Bron: observer.org.sz

SOCCER - SOUTH Africa’s Premiership side Ajax Cape Town are reported to have put up a lucrative E500 000 offer to Mbabane Swallows for the services of in-demand striker Mfanafuthi ‘Taribo’ Bhembe.
Contrary to initial reports, the quicksilver striker has not yet signed for Moroka Swallows, who are also bidding for his signature.
The player is apparently taking his time in deciding on the team to join next season as Jomo Cosmos, Wits University, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs have all declared their intentions to sign him.
According to information gathered yesterday, Ajax are now leading the race to sign the talented striker as the offer they have reportedly made is believed to be difficult for Swallows to turn down. Sources close to the player have revealed that he (Taribo) is comfortable joining Ajax, who have young players.
Wits are also said to have made a serious bid to sign the player and it is expected that the future of the dreadlocked striker would be finally put to bed before the end of this week.
This publication can reveal that ‘Taribo’ was in South Africa last week to negotiate with the number of South African teams interested in his services. Interviewed yesterday, the soft-spoken striker confirmed that he has not yet signed with any team, including Moroka Swallows.
“It’s not true that I’ve signed with any team in South Africa yet. Obviously, I will join a team where I feel I would be more comfortable but I’ve not yet made up my mind. I will announce it publicly as soon as I’ve decided my next step but for now, we are still looking at the offers on the table,” he said.
He hinted that he might soon engage a professional agent to handle his football affairs when he finally pursues his football career in South Africa. Sources have further revealed that Pirates also made a serious offer to sign the player, which included a staggering E40 000 monthly salary but ‘Taribo’ is apparently not interested in signing for any of the South Africa’s big teams as he wants a team where he would be given more time to settle.