Last-placed PSL team Gallants top Confed group after away win against St Eloi

Marumo Gallants remain last in the DStv Premiership. But a fourth win in succession in all competitions, 2-1 away to Saint Eloi Lupopo on Sunday, and form in the 2022-23 Caf Confederation Cup that seems likely to carry the Limpopo team to the knockout stages will come as a huge boost to Dylan Kerr’s team. 

So far the Confed group stage has proved something of a walk in the park for Gallants. That should not detract from the grit of their performance strolling to a 2-0 lead against Saint Eloi at Stade des Martyrs de la Pentecôte in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, through strikes by Mpho Mvelase in the 24th minute and Ranga Chivaviro in the 42nd. 

Patou Kabangu’s free-kick pulling a goal back for Lupopo in the 82nd came from a rare chance for the home side. 

Gallants are top of Group A after starting with a 4-1 win against Libya’s Al Akhdar at Dobsonville Stadium last weekend. 

USM Alger will provide far sterner opposition in Marumo’s next two games. But the lack of threat posed by Lupopo and Ahkdar will leave the South African club confident they can go past this group. 

There may be question marks over the standard of the opposition Gallants have met in the Confed.  

Kerr, though, will allow himself a victory lap that a 2-0 home league win against Sekhukhune United and 3-1 Nedbank Cup last 32 victory against first division Magesi preceded the two Confed wins. That makes it four wins in a row for Gallants, with 11 goals scored and three conceded. 

This from a team that had gone eight games without a win, and lost four in a row, before the Sekhukhune win. Their last victory before that was in the Confed preliminary stages, 3-0 at home to Al Ahly Tripoli on November 9. 

Keeping things tight in the away game, Gallants got their opener from a set piece. From Lesiba Nku’s corner from the right Mvelase’s run from the edge of the box was not picked up, allowing the right-back a free header past goalkeeper Youssouf Morou. 

Gallants might have made it 2-0 when they had another free header 10 minutes later. Ranga Chivaviro crossed from the right to find strike partner Letsie Koapeng to deflect wide of the right upright. 

The South African team did double their lead just before the break when Nku’s pass put winger Katlego Otladisa free on the left to cross low, big Chivaviro getting ahead of a marker to finish at the near post. 

There were barely any chances in the second half as again St Eloi battled for any sort of rhythm on their patchy home surface. 

But with less than 10 minutes of normal time left substitute Lupopo earned a free-kick just outside the area. Kabangu stood over the ball, and produced a delightful free-kick that looped over Marumo’s wall and into the top-right corner. 

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