Positive signs for Leopards

Following their 0-1 defeat at the hands of Polokwane City in their opening league match at the Thohoyandou Stadium on Sunday, Black Leopards are lying in the 12^th position on the log. When cornered to comment after the game, the coach of Black Leopards, Mr Lionel Soccoia, said his team had displayed a superb performance, even though they had lost the match.

He stated that both sides had created scoring chances and that City had been lucky because they had managed to convert one of their chances. He stressed the fact that Lidoda Duvha had been all over the visitors throughout the last half but their strikers had, unfortunately, apparently forgotten their scoring boots at home.

He reiterated hat he would soon find a winning combination. The home side were without the league’s 2018/19 soccer season's top goal scorer, Mwape Musonda, on Sunday. The Zambian bulldozer striker watched the game from the grandstand because of injury.

It took Rise and Shine 44 minutes to score the goal that earned them three league points. They were awarded a free kick after Carlton Mashumba was brought down in the 35-meter area. Jabu Maluleke, the team’s captain, tried his luck from the free kick and Sibusiso Mbonani flicked the ball back from inside the box. The ball hit the crossbar and landed across the goal line.

Leopards introduced Lifa Hlongwane, Joseph Mhlongo and Mogakolodi Ngele for Thuso Phala, Pentjie Zulu and Tswarelo Bereng respectively in the last half. Leopards coach Soccoia was reprimanded with a card, following a continued argument with the referee, Mr Cedrick Muvhali.

Thabo Matlaba, the Leopards’ captain, was nominated man of the match. He was presented with a trophy after the game.

Date:08 August 2019

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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