Golden Arrows secured a 2-0 DStv Premiership victory over local rivals AmaZulu in the Durban derby on Wednesday evening.
Former Bafana Bafana striker Benni McCarthy has joined AmaZulu as their new head coach, but he was not in the dugout yet given that he only arrived in Durban on Tuesday.
The early stages of the game featured a back and forth tussle in midfield between the two sides with neither making any real progress towards the business end of the pitch.
The first real shot on target was from Ntsako Makhubela who drilled one from just outside the box, straight at goalkeeper Veli Mothwa.
Arrows built momentum as the first half wore on and created a few scoring opportunities as Pule Mmodi hit the post and Gumede shot just wide after driving at the AmaZulu box.
Abafana Bes'thende were rewarded for their continued attacking play as they won a penalty just before the half-time break. The ball hit Sandile Khumalo in the AmaZulu area and Nduduzo Sibiya hammered home the spot-kick to give the visitors the 1-0 lead.
Arrows maintained their stranglehold on the game as the second stanza got underway, and they were two goals clear in the 49th minute when Velemseni Ndwandwe found the back of the net after combining with Sibiya.
The travelers did well to contend with Usuthu's efforts to get back into the game and came close to scoring their third just past the hour mark as Seth Parusnath saw his free kick tipped over the bar.
The physical aspect of the game intensified towards the latter stages as AmaZulu tried to force their way back into contention for at least a point.
Arrows' defence held firm despite the hosts' best efforts and the three points were secured for the travelers.
- TeamTALK media