Mponda plays down injury fears

Flames captain Peter ‘Mjojo’ Mponda on Thursday played down a knee injury he picked up on Wednesday during a South African Premier Soccer League (PSL) match between his club Santos and SuperSport United.

Mponda was taken off seven minutes into the game and replaced by Phikolomzi Kefile raising fears among local soccer fans, who watched the game on television, that he might have injured the same knee that put his career under serious threat last season.

But in an interview from Cape Town on Thursday, Mponda played down the injury insisting that his substitution was more of a precautionary measure.

“I think it is more of a psychological problem because there is still a slight element of fear. Otherwise, I am walking normally, I could have continued, but I had to be substituted as a safety measure,” he said.

Santos’ flirtation with relegation grew stronger on Wednesday as they went down 1-0.

Mponda’s compatriot Tawonga Chimodzi was also in the starting line-up, but was also substituted in the 70th minute whereas Atusaye Nyondo was introduced in the second-half by SuperSport.

Robert Ng’ambi’s Platinum Stars produced one of the shock results of the season with a 2-1 victory against Mamelodi Sundowns.

Ng’ambi was thrown in as a second-half substitute for fellow countryman Chiukepo Msowoya.

Elsewhere, Black Leopards fought back from two goals down to claim a 2-2 draw away to Free State Stars on Wednesday afternoon.

However, Flames midfielder Dave Banda and defender Harry Nyirenda who is recovering from a toe injury did not feature for Leopards.

Stars went two up thanks to Kennedy Mweene and Zakari Morou, but late strikes from Mongezi Bobe and Itumeleng Duiker claimed a valuable point in Leopards’ quest to avoid relegation.