The Dolphins FC will not take part in the semifinal stage of the Khubvi Soccer Tournament, after they were booted out by Lukau FC, who beat them 2-0 at the Khubvi Benjie's grounds on Saturday.
The game was evenly contested from the onset, with both sides creating several scoring chances but eventually wasting most of them.
It took The Dolphins only nine minutes to realize that it was not their day. Their centre forward, Aluwani Nemaranzhe, received a neat pass from Talifhani Manyaga and unleashed a powerful half volley from the edge of the box. The ball missed the goal mouth by inches, much to the fans' disappointment.
Before long, Lukau threatened to score as well. Their left flank, Lucky Tshidino, suffered the pain of watching his close-range ground cutter go a little wide. No goal was seen during the first half, despite the fact that the teams kept on knocking at each other's doors from time to time.
The Dolphins effected one change early in the last half. The change did not stop Lukau from scoring their opening goal in the 54th minute. Tshilidzi Murada found the net, following a great pass from Ipfi Phalanndwa. The goal seemed to be a wake-up call to the Dolphins' midfielders. They regrouped from behind, dishing out some telling passes to the goal poachers, who seemed to have forgotten their scoring boots at home.
Lukau increased the margin in the 78th minute. They were awarded a penalty after Alwelani Makhura was brought down within the box. Lucky Tshidino scored from the white spot. The Dolphins seemed hopeless after Lukau scored their second goal.
Lukau came close to scoring their third goal in the 84th minute. Lucky Tshidino forced his way through the defence of Dolphins and lost possession just before he could unleash from inside the box.