Black Leopards surrender

Football has once more proven that it is a cruel sport. Black Leopards were leading 2-0 until the last 20 minutes of the game, but they finally lost 2-3 to Stellenbosch FC in their NFD League match at the Thohoyandou Stadium on Sunday.

Still inspired by their 1-all away draw against Cape Town All Stars last Wednesday, Lidoda Duvha approached the game aggressively with their strikers, Mwape Musonda, Ivan Mahangwahaya and Sphelele Mkhulise, giving the visitors’ defence no time to breathe.

The referee, Mr Siyabonga Biyela, flashed the first yellow card in the ninth minute. Bongani Nyathi of Stellenbosch was warned for a rough tackle on Ivan Mahangwahaya. The home side took the lead in the 24^th minute. Their Zambian bulldozer-striker, Mwape Musonda, beat two defenders in the streamline before unleashing a powerful ground cutter. Jethren Barr, the Stellenbosch keeper, watched helplessly as the ball hit the back of the net.

The Leopards’ keeper, Avhashoni Tshinuna, executed a brilliant save in the 39^th minute. He stretched to the limit to palm the aerial ball away for a corner kick. Unfortunately, Tshinuna sustained an injury in the process of clearing the ball away and he was replaced with Lutho Mbanjwa.

Leopards again replaced Ivan Mahangwahaya with Thembisani Nevhulamba early in the last half. Lidoda Duvha increased the margin in the 57^th minute when Ben Musaka gave the ball the final touch, following scramble within the box.

The visitors pulled one back in the 74^th minute via Tsepo Mabua. He unleashed from the edge of the box. A substitute, Zaid Patel, was on target six minutes later. He hooked in the loose ball from a corner kick by Diego Brown. The wheel of fortune turned against Black Leopards when Stellenbosch scored the third through Letsie Koapeng in the 84^th minute.

The game came to a halt for 14 minutes as the Leopards’ fans started to throw different objects onto the pitch. The situation came back to normal after the chairman of the club, Mr David Thidiela, together with some club officials intervened and the game continued smoothly as if nothing had happened.

Date:03 November 2016

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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