Marumo Gallants are out of the relegation zone, at least for now, after beating fellow strugglers Chippa United 3-1 during their league clash at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Wednesday evening.
It was a bottom of the DStv Premiership table clash when the two sides crossed swords in a must-win encounter to survive the relegation axe.
Gallants went into the half-time break trailing 1-0 after Nigerian striker Etiosa Ighodaro put the Chilli Boys in the driving seat.
The home side did, however, turn things around thanks to a second-half hat-trick by Ranga Chivaviro, with two of his goals coming from the penalty spot.
Chivaviro registered his 14th goal of the season in all competitions.
The comeback by Gallants was their second of the season after they overcame a 2-0 first-half deficit to win 3-2 against Saint Eloi Lupopo in their last CAF Confederations Cup Group A match played two weeks ago.
Caretaker coach Raymond Mdaka was delighted with the result, saying credit must go to the players for a positive response.
“Every game where you get goals and win, is a good game, especially when you score,” Mdaka said during a post-match interview.
“Credit to the boys, I think the boys worked hard. Coming from one goal down and scoring three goals in quick succession is never easy.
“We are happy as the technical team with the character of the team by not dropping their heads when they were trailing.”
Despite the victory, the Bahlabane Ba Ntwa are not entirely out of the woods, as they are one point away 15th-placed Chippa and three points behind bottom-of-the-table Maritzburg United.
Gallants will shift their focus to another important game when they host SuperSport United on Tuesday.
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