CHESLYN Jampies’ solitary goal helped Jomo Cosmos beat Free State Stars 1-0 in an Absa Premiership match at Olen Park Stadium yesterday to ease their relegation troubles.
Ezenkosi are still third bottom on 17 points from 19 matches. The victory broke Stars hearts as they were eager to move into the top eight.
Cosmos came into the match desperate for points to move away from the relegation zone. Ezenkosi had won only one match in their last seven outings.
On the other hand, Stars were eager to return to winning ways following a humiliating 5-2 defeat to run away leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.
Cosmos made their presence felt early on and they almost got rewarded in the second minutes when Jampies unleashed a thunderous free kick from 30 yards forcing keeper Daouda Diakite to concede a corner.
The Burkina Faso born shot stopper made a crucial save in the 13th minute when he parried Jampies goal bound header to force a corner.
Cosmos striker Brice Aka could not believe it when referee Victor Hlungwani denied him a penalty in the 15th minutes after he was pushed by Stars defender Robert Sankara inside the box.
The drizzling rain never affected the flow of the game as both teams continued to attack each other in search of the opener.
Stars had a rare opportunity to break the stalemate in the 35th minutes, but Cosmos keeper Sherwin Naicker was equal to the task as he made a brilliant save.
Ea Lla Koto had a better start in the second half and they nearly got rewarded in the 53rd minutes when Danny Venter’s powerful shot hit the upright.
A minute later, Jampies gave Ezenkosi the lead when his curling free kick left Diakite sprawled on the deck to grab his second goal of the season.
Charlton Mashumba wasted a golden chance to double the lead at the hour mark when he shot over the bar with Diakite beaten following a terrific pass from Tebogo Makobela.
Makobela was the culprit earlier as he failed to grab the second goal from close range.
On the other end, Naicker denied Sankara the equaliser from the edge of penalty box.
