United FC beat Tiger Boys 4-2
United FC beat Sunnyside Tiger Boys 4-2 in a thrilling encounter during the Kaizer Letsoalo Games Premier League match played at Sunnyside sportsground on Sunday.
LIMPOPO – The first half saw the captain of United FC, Solomon Tshuketana, controlling the middle of the pack and unleashing a series of defence-splitting passes that put the hometeam on the back foot.
The unrelenting pressure caused the disorganised Tiger Boys’ defence to commit many mistakes in front of their goals, forcing their goalkeeper-captain, Marothi Makhubele, to make a number of dramatic saves.
In the 20th minute, the shambolic Tiger Boys’ defence failed to clear a high ball that was chipped from the middle field and the loose ball fell onto the right foot of United FC’s striker, Mahlatse Ramatsane, who netted the first goal. The match went into half time with a score of 1-0.
The second half saw United FC continuing where they left off and it took only five minutes before Ramatsane scored his second goal of the match after he received a beautiful square pass from the right flank.
Tiger Boys started to put together a number of beautiful passes after they made some positional changes.
Peter Rakgoale scored their first goal in the 71st minute and four minutes later, they equalised when Maite Malatjie shot at goal from outside the penalty box, beating the United FC goalkeeper.
But the stalemate lasted for less than a minute. United FC reclaimed the lead when a goalmouth scramble saw striker Silence Shingange scoring from close range.
In the last ten minutes of the match, Tiger Boys threw caution to the wind and started to push forward as they looked for a late equalizer, but they were punished when Themba Mkansi, of United FC, dribbled past two defenders to make the score 4-2 in the 87th minute.
“The pitch was not suitable for our kind of game, but we are happy to have collected all three points. Ramatsane was on fire and it is not surprising that he managed to score a brace. The secret of our success is hard work and practice,” Tshuketana said after the thrilling match.
The Kaizer Letsoalo Games is a community-based league that is played under the auspices of the super and premier divisions. Eighteen teams will compete for the first prize of R17 000 in the premier league, while 24 teams will compete in two streams for the first prize of R8 000 in the super division.
The weekend league matches are played in some of the most remote villages around Tzaneen, and the encounters are tough and exciting, enticing soccer fans back to the dusty sportsgrounds.
