Black Leopards crushed Vasco da Gama 2-0 in their National First Division League match, played at the Giyani Stadium on Saturday.

Black Leopards took the game to their opponents from the first whistle, thus forcing the Vasco defenders to play with their backs against the wall.

In the 11th minute, Leopards' scoring machine, David Zulu, dribbled past two defenders in a row and unleashed a ground cutter from the edge of the box. The ball missed the goal mouth by inches, much to the disappointment of the team’s fans. Leopards’ holding midfielder, Edgar Manaka, did not live up to the fans’ expectations as he was tightly marked.

It took Black Leopards 24 minutes to open their account. Sphiwe Mkhize unleashed a volley from outside the box and the keeper of Vasco, Gary Niewenhuis, palmed the ball back into play. Leonard Ntshangase, who was in the perfect scoring position, blasted in a rocket to give the local side a 1-0 lead.

As if they were the leading side, Vasco started playing defensive football afterwards. The struggle continued, with the hosts enjoying ball possession until the proceedings for the first half came to an end.

Leopards strengthened their striking force by introducing Bafana Sibeko and Rendani Ndou for Sphiwe Mkhize and Jabulani Ndebele respectively early in the last half. Ndou and David Zulu formed a deadly combination at the forefront.

The Grahamstown-based referee, Mr Kenny Qongo, took a controversial decision in the 67th minute. Jabulani Mazibuko of Vasco passed the ball back to his keeper intentionally. Instead of kicking the ball away, the stranded keeper handled it and the referee remained silent as if nothing had happened. Edgar Manaka of Leopards and Ndiviwe Mdabuka of Vasco were reprimanded with cards for exchanging blows in the 74th minute.

Bafana Sibeko, who came on as a substitute, scored Leopards’ second goal nine minutes before the final whistle. He forced his way through the defence of Vasco and beat the keeper with a close-range ground cutter. The visitors from Cape Town lost shape in the middle of the park after Leopards’ second goal.