by Luca Kotton | May 9, 2014 | Sport
BIDVEST WITS has moved all of its attention to the Nedbank Cup final against Orlando Pirates, after sealing third place in the Premier Soccer League (PSL).
The final will take place on May 17 at the Moses Mabhida stadium in Durban, after much discussion amongst the Nedbank Cup organising committee and the PSL.
The Clever Boys final showdown against Orlando Pirates will be the biggest match of the season for the Braamfontein-based team, which will be looking to pick up silverware for the first time since 2010. Incidentally, the trophy the team won then was the Nedbank Cup.
Hunt vs Vermezovich
Orlando Pirates are under the reign of their recently appointed coach, Vladimir Vermezovich, who only took charge of the team almost a month after his appointment due to work permit
issues. Vermezovich guided his previous team, Kaizer Chiefs, to two cup finals but never a Nedbank Cup victory.
HEATED AFFAIR: Bidvest Wits players clash with their Orlando Pirates
counterparts in the last match between the teams. Photo: Luca Kotton
The Serbian coach was confident of his team’s victory in the final and said: “It will be a disgrace for a team of Orlando Pirates calibre to go a season without a trophy, so we will have to win this one.”
In contrast, Gavin Hunt, the Bidvest Wits coach has tasted success in the Nedbank Cup with his previous team. Hunt guided Supersport United to a Nedbank Cup victory in 2012.
How the teams face up
In head-to-head statistics, the Buccaneers hold the edge over the Clever Boys as they have won 24 of the teams clashes with their opponents having only won 12. Their last two matches in the current season saw a home win for Orlando Pirates in February and a stalemate at the Bidvest stadium at the end of April. Going on the head-to-head games the outlook wouldn’t be positive for the Clever Boys trophy aspirations but Hunt had
previously told Wits Vuvuzela, “Cup games are completely different to league games, you can’t compare.”
Fringe players get the chance
Wits failed to beat Maritzburg United in their last home game of the season on Tuesday night and Hunt gave many of his fringe players an opportunity to play, making nine changes from the team that won the Nedbank Cup semi-final against Kaizer Chiefs. Hunt said: “I gave players a chance but the players are not good enough, some of them. Some players have been here for two or three years now and they won’t be here next season.”
Who will be missing?
Hunt said he would go back to his “A” team for the Nedbank final.The only big blow for the Clever Boys will be the absence of Papy Faty who is out for nine months after a tackle from Oupa Manyisa in Bidvest Wits’ last home clash against the Buccaneers.
Orlando Pirates may be without striker Lennox Bacela, who injured his ankle in their 2-1 semifinal win over Maritzburg United.
The spectacle
The final in Durban which will see the winning team bagging R7-million in prize money is sure to be a spectacle. PSL chief executive, Brand de Villiers said: “We are planning a spectacular event on May 17 and we urge football fans to purchase their tickets early.”
Danielle van de Merwe, the Bidvest Wits marketing manager, told Wits Vuvuzela: “The club will notify the supporter club members of any travel arrangements made.”
luca@witsvuvuzela.com
by Luca Kotton | May 9, 2014 | Sport
READY FOR ACTION: Number seven,Jaryd Povall and his Brother,number six, stand in front of coach, Mark Sanders.
THE NUMBERS three to seven add a unique aspect to the Wits hockey club.
The men’s hockey squad includes brothers, Jaryd and Matthew Povall and three brothers, James, Craig and Michael Daniels. Between them, they hold three to seven of the 21 jersey numbers in the team.
Coaches views
Do the brothers come as a package, or is it a coincidence that all the brothers were picked for the squad? Wits Hockey coach Mark Sanders says, “They’re all good enough. That is the only coincidence.”
Interview with the two sets of brothers
Wits Vuvuzela spoke to the two sets of brothers and, perhaps naturally, found some rivalry between the sibling groups.“There are only two of us Povalls, so at least we don’t need a team bus to travel to
games and training,“ says Matthew. The Daniels brothers respond with laughter, and Craig adds, “Yes, two’s a company, threes a party.”
The Daniels brothers say it doesn’t matter to them that the Povalls are brothers. They are simply two team members, the same as everyone else in the squad. The Povalls say the three brothers are dynamic, hardworking and bring good energy to the team.
Commenting on the Povalls, Craig Daniels said, “They are brothers too, so sharing that experience of playing with someone that is so close to you is always special – especially at the level we are playing…Them being
brothers just contributes to how well they know each other on and off the park, which helps.”
All the brothers believe that being siblings and playing as team mates brings a different feeling to a team. The Daniels brothers stick up for each other, but also realise each of them can stand up for themselves. They are brothers and team mates on and off the field.
Since people were asking about the Daniels brothers on Twitter, Wits Vuvuzela posed the question: which set of brothers do they believe is more appealing to the ladies. “Definitely the Daniels’…We’re a lot more fun,” says Craig with a wink.
Another player, John Tatham, also has two brothers who play hockey, and if they were part of the team, it would be even more of a family affair.
Varsity hockey tournament
The Wits hockey team will be looking to improve on this past weekend’s performances, which saw them get only one point from three games. They will play the second leg of the Varsity hockey tournament this coming weekend in Bloemfontein against Kovsies, Rhodes and Tuks.
luca@witsvuvuzela.com
by Luca Kotton | May 6, 2014 | Sport
A drastically changed Clever Boys team lost to Maritzburg United 1-0 in their last home game of the season at Bidvest Stadium tonight.
Nine players from Saturday’s Nedbank Cup win over Kaizer Chiefs were replaced in the match against Maritzburg, in what was in effect a dead rubber for both sides. Maritzburg had already avoided relegation and have no chance of reaching the top eight in the league.
In contrast the Clever Boys have secured third position and cannot drop or climb the table in their last league game of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) season against Bloemfontein Celtic on Saturday.
NOT RESTED: Siyabonga Nhlapo was one of only two players not rested from this past Saturday’s clash against Kaizer Chiefs. Photo: Luca Kotton
The first half was a stalemate with both teams evenly matched.
Both teams saw half opportunities which were squandered by the players.
The game had lacked the the usual pace and excitement from both teams with players looking fatigued.
In the second half Maritzburg United seemed to kick into higher gear as their coach, Steve Khompela, made all three substitutes with 30 minutes still lefton the clock.
The switch paid off for Khompela as his players responded with a goal in the 70th minute by Kurt Lentjies, which proved to be decisive blow.
Following the loss Bidvest Wits coach, Gavin Hunt, told Wits Vuvuzela that none of the players on the field were particularly impressive.
Responding to a question about the team selection for next Saturday’s Nedbank Cup final against Orlando Pirates, the coach as adamant: ” Back to the A-team,” he said.
by Anazi Zote | May 6, 2014 | Sport
Wits Hockey lost 4-2 to the University of Cape Town (UCT) in their last match of the Varsity Hockey Tournament at home last night.
PUTTING IN HIS ALL: Barry Morisse dribbles forward from his own half in a spirited performance which saw his team lose to UCT. Photo: Luca Kotton
Within two minutes of the first chukka, the UCT team managed to score their first goal. Supporters from Wits were not too thrilled with the early celebrations but their team still had lots to prove for the remainder of the game.
Wits were awarded two penalty corners and failed to convert either, while UCT took advantage and scored two goals in the first chukka from their penalty corners.
The visitors from the coast were not as dominant in the second chukka but they still managed to score another goal in the remaining minutes of the chukka putting them in the lead with a strong 4-1 score against the locals.
In the last few minutes of the game Wits was in charge and was able to score a goal with seven minutes remaining till the final whistle blew, they failed to score anymore goals and the score finished 4-2 in favour of UCT.
The man of the match award went to UCT’s Andy Winter, and the saver of the day was Wits’s Cole Zondagh, his third time during the tournament.
We just didn’t stand up and take responsibility in our roles.
Wits hockey coach, Mark Sanders spoke to Wits Vuvuzela after UCT scored from three of their set pieces, “We discussed all their set pieces we knew exactly what was happening … we just didn’t stand up and take responsibility in our roles.”
Sanders admits that the upcoming hockey tournament in Bloemfontein next week will be difficult. “It’s going to be a hard challenge but we can definitely work hard to get there, we got two big games that we have to salvage something out of but we can do it if we put our minds to it, if luck goes our way a little bit we can get there.”
by Tendai Dube | May 5, 2014 | Sport
Madibaz (NMMU) in blue and Wits in yellow in focus during their Varsity Hockey tournament match on Wits turf yesterday afternoon. Photo: Tendai Dube
In a foul-filled and frustrating game, Wits University drew one all Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in the Varsity Hockey tournament at home yesterday.
NMMU, or the Madibaz, held a 1-0 advantage up until the last seventeen seconds of the game when Wits netted a goal to level the game.
The first chukka of the game was filled with fouls and green cards instead of goals with NMMU’s Chad Cairncross of the Madibaz getting the first warning within the two minutes off the turf.
Craig Daniel made the first real goal attempt for the Witsies that ended up just high of the post and the team found themselves with two fouls from both Matthew Povall and Michael Daniel before the first third was over.
The Madibaz found some luck in the last two minutes of the first third, when a Witsies’ foul resulted in a penalty. Madibaz Steven Dent then made short work of it, putting the score at 1 – 0 to the NMMU boys.
The second chukka began with a power play for the Madibaz but the boys failed to take advantage of the opportunity when Shawn Pautz was given a green card, soon after Wits captain and goalie, Cole Zondagh had received one too.
Madibaz (NMMU) in blue and Wits in yellow in focus during their Varsity Hockey tournament match on Wits turf yesterday afternoon. Photo: Tendai Dube
Brandon Downes was served with a yellow card, leaving him on the sidelines for the rest of the match.
“A tense game, playing guys who are quicker than us, sometimes we slip and make bad decisions, its just moving on. We played with ten players three times today and we didn’t concede when we had a player off and that’s all that matters,” said Wits captain Zondagh regarding the numerous fouls.
The Wits goal in those few seconds drew the score, 1 – 1 and had the home fans cheering in surprise.
“They were naught one down the whole event until about seconds before the final and they scored and came back, I tell you I have goosebumps, I’m proud of my team,” said Erika Venter, sports officer for Wits Hockey.
“I really feel like we did play really well, we just didn’t take our opportunities when they were given to us, we should have won the game but the boys really did put in an effort and I’m really proud of them,” said Jessica Dignon, manager and conditioner for the Wits hockey boys.
Zondagh won the super saver title for the second time in just as many days and Ignatius Malgraff from the Madibaz was named man of the match.
Wits will be playing against University of Cape Town (UCT) tonight at 18:45.
by Nqobile Dludla | May 4, 2014 | Sport
FIRST ROUND: The dying seconds of the last chukka saw Maties Men’s hockey side net in 2 goals which added to the 5-1 victory over the Wits Men’s hockey side. Photo: Nqobile Dludla
The Maties Men’s hockey side were true to form as they secured a 5-1 victory over Wits Men in the opening match of the Varsity Hockey tournament on Saturday.
The Wits side, playing on their home ground, had anticipated a tough match against the team from Stellenbosch, seen as their toughest competitors.
Dribble away
Two minutes into the first chukka, Maties earned themselves a short corner which was quickly deflected by Wits defence line.
Maties keeping Wits inside their half of the court regained the ball as they attempted another denied goal which resulted in another short corner.
The second short corner looked promising as Maties’ Shannon Boucher gained a rebound from Keenan Horne.
After a failed short corner by Wits, Barry Morisse managed to shoot a clean shot after a brave dribble inside the Maties’ D (the shooting arc), with only just two minutes left of the first chukka.
Maties then equalised with a well executed goal. With just a minute left, Wits’ Brian Rowe attempted a brave shot which went over the goal post, leaving the first chukka score at 1-1.
Wasting no time in the fast paced match, Maties regained the ball quickly after Wits threw a wide overhead in the second half.
What seemed like a failed short corner as Maties’ Shannon Boucher’s drag got deflected, Rob Edwards gave Maties a 2-1 lead as he slapped the ball into the goal post from the top D nine minutes into the 2nd chukka.
Wits fell short as a well executed dribble from Stuart Philip to Michael Daniel who slapped a strong pass towards the top D was received by no one, making Wits fall behind.
In the last chukka, Wits came back with much needed determination to score as Brandon Downes beautifully swept the ball to Craig Daniel who executed a meticulous dribble to James Daniel, witnessing a deflected goal attempt coming from James Daniel which made Wits supporters cringe.
Maties’ Jordan Turnbull scored the 3rd goal and was rewarded as the man of the match. The last dying seconds of the last chukka saw Maties score 2 goals, making the final score 5-1 over Wits.
Applauding his team’s hardwork, Wits Men’s coach, Mark Sanders said: “We played very well. I think that Maties were a little bit surprised by us going up one null and they had to fight a little bit harder and not a walk in the park as they had expected. We can take a lot of positives from this.”
“Definitely we can improve on the marking, a little bit tighter. I think we gave away some easy goals from the marking. We just need to step it up I mean we had good chances to score we just needed to be a little bit more clinical in the last 25,” Sanders said.
The second round will see Wits take on NMMU (Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University).
by Luca Kotton | May 3, 2014 | Sport
TIGHT BATTLE: The Clever Boys captain, Sibusiso Vilakazi, gets chased by Kaizer Chiefs defender Erik Mathoho in a tense match at Bidvest Stadium. Photo: Luca Kotton
The Clever Boys are into the Nedbank Cup final with a resounding victory over Kaizer Chiefs on home turf earlier this afternoon.
The semi-final clash ended on equal terms (2-2) after extra time but Wits overcame the AmaKhosi 4-2 on penalties to win the tightly contested match at the Bidvest Stadium.
The first half of the match saw both teams return to the dressing room with a goal a piece. The Clever Boys broke the deadlock with captain Sibusiso Vilakazi netting a penalty past Chiefs captain, Itumeleng Khune.
Shortly after, another penalty was awarded, this time in Chief’s favour, with striker, Katlego Mphela, netting the equaliser.
Wits started the second half strongly with an early goal by ex- Chiefs striker, Amos Ngcobo. This was cancelled out by an easy tap in from George Maluleka after some good work by Kingston Nkhata, who was booed the during the entire match by his own supporters.
The first half of extra time held nothing exciting with both teams taking a cautious approach. The second half though saw pressure from Kaizer Chiefs, which saw them hitting the post in the first few seconds. Wits rarely troubled Chiefs in the last few minutes as the score held out to go into penalties.
Wits sealed the win by netting every one of their four penalties. Chiefs though, had failed to score two of their penalties with a miss by the iconic Siphiwe Tshabalala. Wits’ Moeneeb Joseph also managed a save against Reneilwe Letsholonyane.
Clever Boys coach, Gavin Hunt, was delighted by the victory and at the prospect of playing in a big final. Speaking exclusively to Wits Vuvuzela after the match, Hunt said, “it’s going to be a hell of a game whoever we play, where we play is going to big thing because the venue is always important.”
Wits will face the winners of the Orlando Pirates/Maritzburg United match later tonight at the Harry Gwala Stadium.
The date and venue of the game is yet to be decided and will be announced after the conclusion of the second semi-final later this evening.
by Luca Kotton | May 1, 2014 | Sport
AGGRESSIVE AFFAIR : Wits and Pirates players enter into a scuffle over a bad challenge on a Clever Boys player in the second half. Photo: Luca Kotton
The Clever Boys battled hard against Orlando Pirates in their Premier Soccer league game on Wednesday night, finishing the game in a 0-0 draw at the Bidvest Stadium.
Bidvest Wits continued their unbeaten run in the league with a third consecutive goalless draw, which sees them without a goal in over 270 minutes of playing time.
The game consisted of both teams missing key goal-scoring opportunities and was marred by consistent foul play from both sides.
Play was interrupted at one point with what looked like a serious injury to Burundian international Papy Faty. Faty was taken to hospital with suspected torn ligaments and a dislocated knee. He looks set to miss his team’s Nedbank Cup semi-final clash against Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday
Sibusiso Vilakazi,the Clever Boys captain, sat on the bench for the duration of the game as Wits seemed to have rested key players for the clash on Saturday.
Kaizer Chiefs also shared the spoils with Free State Stars on Wednesday evening in a 1-1 draw in Polokwane.
by Nqobile Dludla | Apr 25, 2014 | Sport
SUNNYSIDE UP: (L-R) Jubilee’s Dia Mpopo and Sunnyside’s Venia Chirombe. Sunnyside has managed to win two out of three games thus far whilst Jubilee has only won one out of three. Photo: Nqobile Dludla
Once the most-feared netball team on campus, Jubilee was defeated 22-8 by Sunnyside in the third leg of the Wits Internal Netball League at the Digs Field on Tuesday, April 22.
Captain Makoma Molapo admitted the team lacked sparkle and “were not up to par”.
“This is not like Jubes. Everyone knows that this is the team to look out for. Today particularly I feel like most of the players were not up to par. I don’t know what was wrong with everybody: not catching balls, not throwing in the right spaces, it was just a mess. No-one looked prepared to come play the game and win the game.”
Commenting on their recent performance, which has lost them two games out of three in this year’s league, Molapo said: “Most of our team members graduated and left this year so I’m literally the only one standing from last year. Clearly we have a lot of work ahead of us and we need to learn how to work as a team.
“From this game forward I’m hoping that the old Jubes can come back because we left the bar so high, it doesn’t make sense to be losing games right now because, literally, we did not lose a game in these Tuesday games. It’s a new thing for us and it’s not a good thing. We need to get back to where we were.”
Mpho Mokoena, Esselen coach and an umpire for the Jubilee-Sunnyside match, said it was a problem that most players in the internal league still could not adjust to the level of netball required in the league.
“We’re still playing high school level netball. Meanwhile, some players have actually played at regional and provincial levels, so that becomes an issue. We play at different levels based on where we come from – either from Gauteng east, north and central, where players play differently. So it’s problematic when I have to judge the high school level players against more equipped players.”
Game of the East Campers
Five minutes into the game, an attempt inside Sunnyside’s circle paid off for scoring machine, Lebo Mokwena. Jubilee’s Naledi Maubane netted one with a powerful angled shot, but their joy was short-lived when Sunnyside’s Khanya Zwelibanzi and Lebo Mokwena paired up for a cleverly executed goal.
The first quarter saw Sunnyside dominating with a 6-1 lead. Jubilee came back in the second and third quarter following a stern talk from the captain. Both teams were warned a number of times about stepping and crowding, which led to clumsy play by both sides.
The end of the third quarter saw Sunnyside leading 15-5. Jubilee rallied strongly after the break with some much-needed shooting by Maubane. But Jubilee could not maintain the intensity and scored only another three in the final stretch.
Sunnyside has won two out of its three league matches so far. Their captain, Musi Lidovho, applauded her team.
“The team performed really well. I think we are capable of far more, especially considering the fact that we don’t even have a coach. But otherwise, the team’s been gelling well and we hope we can keep with this winning streak.”
RELATED ARTICLES:
by Luca Kotton | Apr 25, 2014 | Sport
WEDNESDAY night’s at home draw with Kaizer Chiefs was a fair reflection of the Clever Boys frustrating, score-scarce season.
While the match was packed with drama, none of the excitement resulted in any goals, leaving Bidvest Wits to continue their seven-match unbeaten run of which three were goalless draws.
The draws have resulted in the Clever Boys falling short of their main rivals Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs.
“We should have won the league this year, we have drawn five games like this at home when we should have won all of them comfortably,” Clever Boys coach Gavin Hunt said.
STALEMATE: Bidvest Wits and Kaizer Chiefs play out to a 0-0 draw, denting both their title hopes. Photo:Nqobile Dludla
Wednesday’s match saw an exciting first half with poor finishing being the only downfall for the Clever boys.
The second half saw both teams hit the woodwork, with both goalkeepers pulling off good quality saves.
The PSL League Title
A win for Wits would have surely handed Sundowns the Premier Soccer League title, but Mamelodi fans were still feeling good with the draw denting Kaizer Chiefs title hopes.
The Clever Boys have all but secured third position in the league with their nearest contenders SuperSport United languishing eleven points behind after their 0-1 defeat to bottom-of-the-log Golden Arrows.
The Clever Boys move their attention
The Clever Boys’ attention will now move to their semi-final clash for the Nedbank Cup on May 3 where they will again face Kaizer Chiefs. They will be looking for revenge after their disappointing league outing as well as a pay-out of at least R7-million for the cup winners. The home ground advantage for the Clever Boys may be a telling factor.
A Nedbank Cup victory would mean a lot to Hunt, who will be marking his one-year anniversary at the club next month. He said Wednesday’s match couldn’t be compared to the coming Nedbank Cup clash as they were completely different.
A new look team
Hunt has come to the Clever Boys and changed their style of playing drastically with some pleasing results. The team is on track to improve its log position from last season, where it placed fourth, by a slim margin.
This season has seen Bidvest Wits make big strides in their conquest to become the best team in South Africa with the likes of S’thembiso Ngcobo arriving from Kaizer Chiefs and Jabulani Shongwe arriving from Sundowns in the January transfer window.
The arrival of Hunt and the new players could put the team in a completely different position and next season could see the Clever Boys win their first PSL title.
“You will always aim to do better than last season, next season we going to go out for it and make sure we win something,” said Clever Boys left back Onismor Bhasera.
Wits will finish the season with three matches in the PSL against Maritzburg United, Pirates and Bloemfontein Celtic, on top of their Nedbank Cup duties.
luca@witsvuvuzela.com
by Luca Kotton | Apr 25, 2014 | Sport
MOVING FORWARD: Wits University Football Club (W.U.F.C) coach, Karabo Mogudi, puts his team through their paces before their USSA Gauteng league match against TUT. Photo: Nqobile Dludla
WITS will not compete in this year’s Varsity Sports soccer tournament, since the men’s team failed to make it into the top three of the 2013 University Sports South Africa (USSA) Gauteng league.
Wits only finished fifth in the Gauteng league. To qualify for the Varsity soccer tournament, the top three teams competed in a national USSA tournament held in December. The top eight of the 16 teams qualified for the Varsity soccer tournament.
Why did Wits Not Qualify?
Commenting on the difficulty of the qualifying process, head of Wits soccer, Dennis Tshabalala told Wits Vuvuzela: “Gauteng is like South America in the FIFA World Cup. It is the most difficult route … Our seventh team in Gauteng can beat teams from the other regions who have qualified for the national tournament.”
Wits soccer had an unfortunate year in 2013, Tshabalala added. In 2012 they qualified for the 2013 Varsity tournament and everything went well. In contrast, qualification for the 2014 tournament had many issues, including injuries and suspensions. This was put down to an overworked squad, said Tshabalala, who played in many matches and tournaments.
How is the team currently doing?
Wits are currently doing well in this year’s qualification process and are in the hands of Karabo Mogudi, who has a level three South African Football Association coaching badge.
Three Bidvest Wits academy players have come to study at Wits and are currently playing for the team, which shows the good relationship between the university and the Clever Boys, Thshabalala said.
Asked about the university soccer structures, he said: “USSA has always been a platform to showcase talent.” Wits had one of their very own, Tefu Mashamaite, scouted at the USSA national tournament a few years ago and he now plays for Kaizer Chiefs.
Wits’ next game is against Tswane University of Technology on Tuesday, April 29 and they will be looking to continue their good form in the USSA Gauteng league, which sees them currently coming third on the 2014 log.
VIDEO: Dennis Tshabalala talks to Wits Vuvuzela about Wits soccer not playing the 2014 Varsity Soccer tournament.
by Percy Matshoba | Apr 24, 2014 | Sport
Matome Kadi, Bidvest Wits striker, runs down the line in an eventful 0-0 draw with Kaizer Chiefs. Photo: Luca Kotton
Bidvest Wits showed impressive form last night, keeping the visitors Kaizer Chiefs away from a victory they so desperately wanted.
The Clever Boys drew 0-0 in the Absa Premier League match against AmaKhosi at the Bidvest Wits Stadium, last night.
The Clever Boys supporters jumped for joy 61 minutes into the game when Sithembiso Ngcobo’s finish from Sibusiso Vilakazi resulted in what seemed to be a goal, but this joy was short-lived, as the goal was ruled out for an offside. This highlight of the match summed up the dominance of ball possession by Bidvest Wits.
The first 10 minutes of the game consisted of many goal attempts by both teams and one free kick for the Clever Boys. Chiefs striker, Simphiwe Tshabalala crossed and missed yet another chance to bring victory to Amakhosi.
Shortly after, Amos Ngcobo almost hit the target for the Clever Boys but this was met by a good save by Amakhosi captain, Itumeleng Khune.
[pullquote] “The Kaizer Chiefs and Bidvest Wits fans set the tone for the game from the start, with the Bidvest Wits band leading vibrant songs of encouragement from the sidelines and the sound of vuvuzelas blasting from both the blue and gold bloods. “[/pullquote]
The Kaizer Chiefs and Bidvest Wits fans set the tone for the game from the start, with the Bidvest Wits band leading vibrant songs of encouragement from the sidelines and the sound of vuvuzelas blasting from both the blue and gold ends.
In hopes of gaining victory Chief’s Siboniso Gaxa passed the ball to George Lebese who flared his lines and missed the ball. Minutes later the host made a change sending in Calvin Kadi and benching Asive Langwe. In response to Lebese’s miss, Chiefs followed the same strategy and sent him out in exchange for George Maluleka.
In what looked like a tug of war 30 minutes into the match, Vilakazi, the Clever Boys captain’s attempted to shoot for the target and was hindered by the defense of Masilela. In response to this Vilakazi tripped Masilela in pursuit of the ball and earned Chiefs a corner kick.
The Clever Boys used their home ground advantage making the AmaKhosi boys struggle as Bidvest Wits striker Papy Faty finished with a shot which was unfortunately above the bar.
In an exciting turn of events Chiefs almost scored an own goal but Khune diverted the ball away from the goals.
Half time saw both teams with no goals and the Clever Boys with more attempts at goal and dominant ball position. The second half of the match was similar to the first with both the blue and gold bloods fighting to win the match.
The remaining 20 minutes of the match showed a fighting spirit for the Amakhosi but the Clever Boys kept their guard up. Bidvest Wits retained dominant ball position from the beginning of the match until the end and as a result Kwanda Mngonyama was honored as the man of the match.
