Posted on February 19, 2012 22:42
A single strike from the sharp Stanton Lewis was not enough to spur 'Usuthu' to victory over Free State Stars at the Charles Mopeli Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
'Ea Lla Koto's' top scorer fired home his first of the match after just six minutes, and while Usuthu managed to equalise late on, Mnqele grabbed his second eight minutes from time to hand the hosts all three points.
Stars hit the ground running and were in front just minutes after the kick off as Mnqele powered his low shot past the goalkeeper and into the bottom corner of the net.
The match became more open as the half went on, although the visitors were unable to find a way through a well organised defence.
The second-half proved much the same as the first, with both sides struggling to create any clear cut opportunities, but midway through the second period AmaZulu drew themselves level as Stanton Lewis banged home from just inside the penalty area to set up a pulsating final few minutes.
However, the day would eventually belong to the hosts as Mnqele rounded off his brace, latching on to the end of a pass from Dove Wome before firing home from close range.
The result lifted Stars to fifth in the standings while AmaZulu remain in the 10th position.