AmaZulu have that relegation feeling

Bruce Grobbelaar's rejuvenated SuperSport United thrashed an out-of-sorts and reshuffled AmaZulu side 7-2 in a Castle Premiership relegation crunch match at King's Park soccer stadium in Durban on Sunday.

United led 3-0 at half-time after a three-goal blitz in 10-minutes at the end of the first half which virtually settled the issue.

United coach Grobbelaar said: "This game was like a cup final to both sides with three vital points at stake in the race against relegation.

"All I can say is the better team won and that was us, thank goodness!"

The victory lifted United from third bottom of the log to sixth-bottom while AmaZulu remain precariously near the danger zone along with doomed Mother City.

It took United about 15 minutes to get the measure of their opponents and, from then on, they dominated play.

The goal avalanche began in the 31st minute through Raymond Seopa with midfielder Michael Araujo and David Notoane adding two more in the 38th and 41st minutes respectively.

Notoane got a second within a minute of the restart after good service from Cameroon player Jean-Paul Bang Penda.

Elasto Lungu put AmaZulu on the scoresheet with a header in the 63rd minute and a controversial penalty award in the 70th minute led to a second goal for the home side after Jerry Sikhosana was apparently grassed by defender Tshepo Mahlangu.

Substitute Vasilli Sofiadellis had his spot kick saved by United goalkeeper Michael Utting and then managed to force the ball over the goalline from the rebound.

But Bang Penda restored United's three-goal advantage in the 75th minute with a diagonal shot from the left that completely deceived AmaZulu goalkeeper Ivo Simunic - a feat that Bang Penda repeated in the 89th minute with Simunic again well out of his goals.

United made it 7-2 in injury time when they crowded the AmaZulu goalmouth to score from close in from a pass by substitute Seuntjie Motlhaiwa.

Adding to their woes, AmaZulu assistant coach Gavin Lane was red-carded by referee Hams Lettigwane for verbally abusing the assistant referee in the 65th minute.