07 Mar 2016

Sua Flamingoes continued their free-fall when they were stunned by Tafic 1-0 during the Debswana First Division North league encounter in Francistown on Sunday.

The goal came in the 90th minute via an own goal by defender Ishmael Mosetlha after a marauding attack by Tafic forwards, Allen Dewere, Musa Tamokate and Alfred Motiki.

The well-attended game was delayed by about 20 minutes due to the clash of kits.

The teams use white and red as their colours and the play rules and regulations in such cases dictate that team B, which is the visiting team, should bring two kits in preparation of such possibilities of clashes.

Tafic, as the host or Team A, were wearing red shots, red socks and predominantly white with red shirts, while Flamingoes was wearing white shots, blue socks and predominantly white with red shirts.

Officials convened the teams’ officials and captains advising them to come up with a workable solution so that the game could be played, or they would be left with no option  but to call off the game.

Flamingoes, as the team expected to come up with an alternative kit put on red shirts, but the officials could have none of it, hence Tafic eventually compromised and put on predominantly red with white shirts to allow the game to kick start.

Tafic started the game with a sense of urgency, sending numerous balls into the box with the likes of Thato Mosweu and Phuthego Modipe but the strikers, Dewere, Tamokate and Motiki were just wasteful.

On the other hand, Flamingoes relied of their bulky captain and defender, Kerapetse Mosimanekgosi to thwart the marauding Tafic attackers.

Their gifted left attacking midfield Luckmore Makura was a marvel to watch but could not be of benefit to his side as he could not shake the back of the net.

In the second half both teams continued their see-saw approach to the game, with Flamingoes looking more like ready to settle for a draw.

They held their ground at the back, continuing to thwart the Tafic attacks but just could not do it to the crucial concentration time, which in football terms is usually the five minutes before first half and the end of the 90 minutes.

Tafic got the winner through such a concentration lapse as a ball sent in by Dewere became a goalmouth melee, resulting in Mosetlha scoring against his goalkeeper, Wilson Muchenje, to hand victory to Tafic in a silver platter.

The win has increased Tafic’s hopes of at least finishing the end of the log in a favourable position to push for the play-offs, while Flamingoes rues the moment they let it slip. Ends