Tough return fixture awaits Gunners

MQONDISI DUBE & FREDERICK KEBADIRETSE
Staff Writers | Wednesday February 22, 2012 00:00

But he can draw much inspiration from what he saw in the last five minutes, a blitz which produced two goals and ensured the Lobatse giants take a slender lead to Antananarivo in a fortnight. Diminutive midfielder, Maano Ditshupo and lanky playmaker, Oteng 'OT' Moalosi grabbed late goals at the UB Stadium to save Mapantsula from carrying a deficit into the second leg.Rightly, Moyo predicts a tough trip to the Indian Ocean island country.

'It will be difficult, but we will try to push. When they attack, they leave spaces at the back and once we get an early goal, we are in with a chance,'Moyo said.Although Gunners’ form and off the field problems had touched new lows prior to the Premier League break, they put their issues aside with a refreshing late surge. But Tana’s discipline in all departments left Moyo a worried man. The visitors sliced open the home team at will, particularly in the first half, to emphasise the gulf in class and quality between the two sides.

'They have a very good team. Tactical and technically, they are superior. We will go out there with a defensive mind, but we should not sit too much at the back,' the burly gaffer said.On Saturday night, Moyo admitted that his side were not sharp as anticipated following intense preparations since the beginning of the year. A poor first half showing by Gunners saw the visitors dictate play and even opening the scoring. ' We did not play well in the midfield, we allowed them too much space and they took control of the game and scored first,' he said. Only the introduction of midfielder Moalosi in the second half brought some stability leading to their revival.

The Zimbabwean born gaffer said they would regroup after the match and plot a suitable approach for the return leg in Antananarivo. Judging by the weekend performance, Moyo and company should be working hard on the erratic defence to avoid conceding easy goals against a fast Tana attack.Meanwhile, Tana coach Andriambololona Patrick declared that his side would overcome Gunners in the return leg and sail through to the next stage of the competition. 'Everything is possible. We will be playing at home and we are aiming for nothing but victory,' Patrick said. He said despite giving away their early lead in the dying moments of the game, he was still happy with his side’s performance on the day. Gunners have been crippled by the departure of several key players including Kgololo Leteane and Hendrick Moyo who made January switches.However, they still have Ditshupo and ‘Captain fantastic’ Ofentse Mmipi to provide the necessary inspiration.