Tzaneen United Chairperson Dennus Mafologela.
By: Refilwe Sebola
A tactically organized Tzaneen United side had the better of their arch rivals Nkowankowa Continental with a narrow 1-0 victory in their official and much better derby game of the season at Nkowankowa Stadium on Friday.
“Lebapola” sealed the ABC Motsepe League stream B championship with three games to spare. The two sides had drawn 1-1 in their previous derby game in the same venue, however this time around draw was not an option for either side.
Tzaneen needed the three points to put the league to bed while newbies Continental needed to win to salvage their status in the league.
The Maruleng based side took the game to their tough opponents from the first whistle trying to score an early goal but the continental midfield was unbreakable. As usual they found their breakthrough via a well taken free-kick in the first half which was clinically executed by their top player Lefa “Toy” Aphane.
Continental tried their best to get the equalizer before halftime break but their efforts were thwarted by the much organized “Lebapola” defense. The halftime score was 1-0 in favour of Tzaneen.
Unlike in the first derby game which was rather dull and lacked mobility, the second half of this second derby was open and exciting to watch. The two sides took the game to each other and displayed great skill in all the four aspects of the game with Tzaneen being the better of the two sides tactically.
They created much better opportunities to score with their dazzling combination play in the final third. Their creative number ten Lefa “Toy” Aphane missed good scoring opportunities which could have wrapped up the game before the final whistle.
Tzaneen is now awaiting the winner of stream A to contest for a place in the national playoffs. So far the race is between Mpheni Defenders and Emmanuel FC.