On Sunday afternoon, Sekhukhune United halted their two-game losing
streak in the DStv Premiership with a goalless draw against Polokwane City
in the Limpopo derby at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium.
Sekhukhune were boosted by the return of goalkeeper Badra Ali Sangare,
Edwin Gyimah, Daniel Cardoso and Mokhele Moloisane, who all started the
game.
⚽️ 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲'𝐬 𝐅𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞
𝐃𝐒𝐓𝐕 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩
🏆 #DSTVPrem
⚽️ Sekhukhune Utd vs Polokwane City
📆 Sunday, 08 October 2023
🏟 Peter Mokaba Stadium
🕕 15h30 #NewsAmple #IREvSCO #OrlandoPirates #SAvSL #Sundowns #Gaza #Israel #Hamas #Bavuma #CITRobbery… pic.twitter.com/ajvn6zGEat— News Ample (@News_Ample) October 8, 2023
The sides cancelled each other out in the early stages, with Babina Noko
having the first threatening shot of the game on 24 minutes after Chibuike
Ohizu struck a shot wide from the edge of the box.
Polokwane seemed to have caught a wake-up call, as they pressurized
Sekhukhune towards the end of the first stanza and Mokibela Ramabu had a
big chance after he latched onto a cross at the back post but Sangare made
a point-blank range save.
Lehlohonolo Seema’s charges kept on coming and they had a penalty appeal
on the stroke of half-time after a ball hit the arm of Daniel Cardoso in
the box but the referee was not persuaded, as the first stanza ended
without goals.
The game was open in the early stages of the second stanza but both sides
lacked urgency in the last third. Brandon Truter’s men started to drop
deep in their own half after the hour-mark, as they invited pressure from
Polokwane but Rise and Shine did not have the creativity to unlock them.
For the last 20 minutes, Truter made a double attacking change to attack
the spaces behind City’s defence, as he brought on Sibusiso Vilakazi and
Tiklas Thutlwa in places of Vusimuzi Mncube and Kgomotso Mosadi.
The changes had the desired impact for Sekhukhune five minutes later as
Ohizu nearly broke the deadlock with a free glancing header that missed
the far post agonizingly wide from a cross by Thutlwa.
Polokwane had the momentum in the dying minutes but they did not have the
cutting edge in the final third, as the sides shared the spoils.
A point moved Rise and Shine up to fifth on the table while Sekhukhune
went up to ninth.
