Mpheni Defenders
By: Refilwe Sebola
Mpheni Defenders suffered a lapse in concentration in the final ten minutes of their game, leading to a missed opportunity for a well-deserved victory and maximum points in their ABC Motsepe League national playoffs match against Njampela in Upington on Wedneday afternoon.
Despite scoring two goals in the second half, the Limpopo-based team failed to secure the win, allowing KwaZulu-Natal-based Njampela to equalize in the dying minutes of the game after being 2-0 down. As a result of this draw, Mpheni now needs to win their last group stage game on Wednesday against the FN Rangers of Western Cape and hope that Rangers defeat Njampela on Thursday in order to advance to the semifinals.
Owner and coach Sydwell Phuravhathu mentioned in a post-match interview that the team is not considered favorites since they are still in the process of building a new team.
Phuravhathu highlighted that the team had lost seven key players at the beginning of the season and replaced them with younger players. He denied claims that his team was favored to gain promotion, stating, “We are not favorites; we were never favorites in the league or in the playoffs.”