City avenge August defeat to Swallows

Cape Town City halted a two-match losing streak in the DStv Premiership with a 2-0 victory over Swallows at the DHL Stadium on Sunday evening.

Sublime strikes in each half from Taahir Goedeman and Taariq Fielies handed the Citizens their seventh win of the season as the Dube Birds' poor run away from home continued.

Eric Tinkler's side climbed into the top eight, one point clear of ninth-placed Royal AM, with Ernst Middendorp's team unmoved in 14th position after losing for the first time in three games.

City were chasing a fifth win in six games on home soil, while Swallows hoped to arrest a 14-match winless streak on the road stretching back to 6 March 2022.

The visitors made a bright start in the Mother City as Evans Rusike drew a fine save out of Darren Keet with a strike from inside the box in the opening minute before Gregory Damons curled a free-kick just wide of the right post on five minutes.

Yagan Sasman forced Keet into another good save with a header moments later but the opening goal would arrive at the other end on eight minutes when Goedeman lashed a volley into the top right corner of the net from outside the area.

The Soweto outfit continued to carve out chances, with Tawanda Macheke shooting wide of goal on a couple of occasions, while Damons sent a free-kick just over the crossbar on 44 minutes.

The hosts managed to hold onto their one-goal lead at the break and they had an early sniff at goal in the second half as Khanyisa Mayo fired wide of the left post after latching onto a free-kick inside the box.

Halftime substitute Junaid Sait threatened to restore parity with a header that flew just over the crossbar on 51 minutes, although Swallows fell further behind four minutes later when Fielies beat Thakasani Mbanjwa with a rasping effort from range.

They were left with a mountain to climb on the hour mark following the dismissal of Keegan Allan, who was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Mayo.

Lyle Lakay immediately looked to make the extra man count from the subsequent free-kick that he curled narrowly past the right post.

Macheke failed to test Keet for the third time in the match as he headed a free-kick wide of the left post shortly afterwards, while Goedeman dragged a shot just to the left of the goal at the opposite end of the pitch on 63 minutes.

Swallows posed very little threat in the remaining half-hour, with their only attempt seeing substitute Bongani Sam clear the bar from distance three minutes from time.

City also finished the game with 10 men after skipper Thami Mkhize picked up two yellow cards in the space of two stoppage-time minutes to receive his marching orders.

Cape Town City (1) 2 (Goedeman 8', Fielies 55')

Swallows (0) 0

Cape Town City: D. Keet, T. Mkhize, K. Cupido, T. Fielies (L. Gordinho 88'), L. Lakay (M. van Heerden 82'), B. Ambina, M. Mdantsane (T. Mokeke 46'), D. Gonzalez, T. Goedeman (T. Nodada 61'), J. Rhodes (B. Mani 82'), K. Mayo.

Swallows: T. Mbanjwa, K. Mngonyama, K. Allan, Y. Sasman, P. Zulu, M. Wambi (W. Isaacs 46'), T. Mthethwa, G. Damons (J. Sait 46'), L. Mtshali, T. Macheke (B. Sam 77'), E. Rusike (N. Lukhubeni 76').