Royal AM leave it late to down Swallows and go second

Veteran Elias Pelembe showed his class and repaid the faith shown in him by club boss Shauwn Mkhize and coach John Maduka after the 38-year-old Mozambican scored a goal of the highest quality with the last kick of the match as 10-man Royal AM defeated Swallows to go second on the DStv Premiership standings.

Pelembe replaced Kamogelo Mashikinya shortly after the restart and the one-time SA footballer of the year and four-time Premiership winner drove a bicycle kick past Swallows goalkeeper Thela Ngobeni.

Dylan Kerr’s struggling Swallows left everything on the pitch at Chatsworth Stadium but missed out on an opportunity to pull away from the relegation zone, and failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage after Zukile Mkhize was red carded for a wild tackle with 20 minutes remaining.

Royal AM toppled Kaizer Chiefs in second place and though they are 15 points behind runaway leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, Maduka’s  players will be motivated by a glorious opportunity to play in Caf competitions next season if they hang on to their second place or finish third.