High Aims and Berea FC favourites to win Mafhungwana tournament

The semi-finals and final match of the Mafhungwana Soccer Tournament will be played at the Mukula Young Santos Grounds on Saturday. The first semi-final match will be between Tshimuthe FC and Saudi Arabia FC at 09:30.

Tshimuthe’s road to the semis was not an easy one. They beat Musasenda Big Five 7-6 in their quarterfinal match at the Khubvi Benjie’s Grounds last Saturday. The winner was determined through a penalty shootout, following a 2-2 draw at the end of regulation time. Saudi Arabia had forced their way to the semi-final with a 2-1 victory over Vondwe United Brothers.

Berea FC and Matangari High Aims will fight for a place in the final in their second semi-final match, scheduled to start at 11:30. High Aims and Berea are the favourites to lift the trophy. Berea’s journey to the semi-final round was also rocky and thorny. They used Napoli FC, whom they beat 5-3 in their quarter-final match, as a stepping stone to the semi-final stage. The scoreboard was still blank when the referee blew the final whistle, and the winner was determined through a penalty shootout. Matangari High Aims had beaten Khubvi Dangerous Darkies 4-1 to secure a place in the semi-final round.

The winners in the semi-final matches will meet in the final later in the afternoon. The champions will receive R20,000, two sets of soccer kits, gold medals, a floating trophy, and a soccer ball. The runners-up will take home R10,000, two sets of soccer kits, silver medals, and a soccer ball. The team that finishes in third place will be presented with R7,000, a soccer kit, and a soccer ball.

Date:15 December 2023

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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