Nobela All Stars kept their title hopes alive by beating Magezi FC 2-1 in a Vodacom Promotional League match at the Malemulele Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

All Stars would have had nobody to blame but themselves had they lost the match, as they were the superiors when it came to ball possession throughout the game. Their fast forward, Thembisani Nevhulamba, who under normal circumstances gives the opponents’ defence a tough time, could not live up to the fans’ expectations. He was tightly marked.

The referee, Ms Lufuno Nemagovhani, flashed the first yellow card in the 14th minute. Leabua Lemena of All Stars tackled Moses Karabo of Magezi from behind and the referee took no time to produce yellow.

Nobela All Stars were the first to find the net. Their Rastafarian striker, Rhulani Manganye, blasted in a rocket, following a cross from Thembisani Nevhulamba. At that stage, the game was 27 minutes old. Stars continued to control the game, but the score remained unchanged until proceedings for the first half came to an end.

Xitsunguxo Hlungwani of All Stars left the field of play for a moment without the referee’s consent and was booked for that.

Realizing that their first goal scorer, Rhulani Manganye, was tired, they replaced him with Sydwell Ritsuri seven minutes into the last half. A defender of Nobela All Stars, Bongani Motswahae, handled the ball within his own penalty box. It was a clear penalty for Magezi. Calvin Thantswa scored the equaliser from the penalty spot.

The home side did not lose hope. Instead, they continued to fight like a team until they snatched the winner via Aluwani Machaba late in the game.