Drogba destroys Union Fighters

Dakalo “Drogba” Ratshitanga was a marvel to watch when his side, Berea FC, beat Gaba Union Fighters 3-1 to secure a place in the quarter-final stage of the Mulindavhathu Soccer Challenge at the Khubvu Benjie's grounds on Saturday.

Ratshitanga scored a hat trick. Union Fighters suffered a heavy blow when their number one goalkeeper, Orifha Nelufule, sustained a serious knee injury seven minutes into the game. He was replaced by Jonas Kwinda.

Union Fighters did not lose their fighting spirit, despite the setback. They were the first to find the net. Their solitary goal came in the 18^th minute. Their centre forward, Phumudzo Kwinda, caught the keeper of Berea, Tshifhiwa Rasivhaga, off guard with a long-range header.

Berea maintained their shape in the middle of the park. They found the equalizer in the 36^th minute. Dakalo Ratshitanga beat the keeper with a ground cutter, following a neat pass from Dzivhuluwani Simba to bring the half-time score to 1-1.

Berea took the game to their opponents in the opening minutes of the last half. A defender of Union Fighters, Thambatshira Moleba, handled the ball within his own penalty area. That prompted the referee to award a penalty to Berea. Ratshitanga made no mistake from the white spot.

Awelani Mphigalale, the Berea fast forward, was reprimanded with a card for dangerous play in the 64^th minute.

Union Fighters’ original stamina vanished with time. That gave Berea a good chance to dictate terms in all departments. Berea put the matter beyond doubt in the 78^th minute. Ratshitanga beat two defenders and sent the keeper the wrong way. Shepherd Ravhuhali of Berea was booked for wasting time towards the end of the game.        

Date:16 August 2018

By: Frank Mavhungu

Frank is a Human Resources Manager at the Department of Public Works in Limpopo. He is the longest serving correspondent of the Mirror, having joined us at the end of 1990.  He mainly writes sports reports and resides at Tsianda Village. In 2004, Frank won the National Castle League Award, an award for the best reporter in the SAB league in South Africa.

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