25 Nov 2015

Lemponye Tshireletso came off the bench to become an instant hero for Mochudi Centre Chiefs as he scored the only goal of the game in Molepolole .

The tie was the second leg of the Mascom Top 8 against Gilport Lions.

Chiefs had struggled to score,despite being the dominant team most of the game, especially in the first half. 

As the game snailed towards the end,, Mike Sithole pulled out Senatla ‘Ayanda’ Molefe, who found it hard to cope with the hard tackling Tumisang ‘Butcher’ Sekanonyane.

The substitution came when Lions were pilling pressure on the home team and with only seven minutes to go, Chiefs got a break when they were awarded a free kick on the edge of the box. 

Tshireletso stepped up and curled in at the bottom of the upright, leaving Lions shot-stopper Lesego Bosekeng helplessly rooted to the turf as he watched the ball curl in. 

The goal turned a molehill into a mountain for Lions who now needed two quick goals to proceed to the next stage. All along a single goal without a response from their opponent would have sufficed for the Lions. 

The goal also ensured that Chiefs proceeded to the semi finals of the cup for the first time since its inception in the 2011/2012 season. The Kgatleng giants failed at the first hurdle in all the years, and Sithole was happy to make history.

“It’s a good thing that we finally managed to break the jinx despite us not playing our best game, but in such games winning matters more than anything. 

What matters is that we are now through to the next stage for the first time ever,” he said.

He said, before declaring that they will be ready for any team when the draw takes place.

His counterpart at Lions, Mandivenga Paradzayi, however, felt that the officiating disadvantaged his boys. 

“The referee was not fair to us and we did not understand how he decided on giving advantage to each team. 

This was also the situation in the first leg back in Serowe when Chiefs were awarded a questionable penalty to equalise. We feel robbed in both legs,” he said.

Paradzayi was, however, happy with his boys for playing according to instructions. After the game, commotion nearly broke as Lions’ technical bench exchanged words with match officials in seeking answers to what they felt was unfair refereeing.

The result now means Chiefs together with Township Rollers, Orapa United and BDF XI proceed to the last four. Ends