18 Feb 2019

Football lovers were on February 16 evening treated to an electrifying atmosphere at Itekeng Sports Complex in a mouth watering BTC Premier League fixture that pinned the log leaders, Township Rollers against Orapa United.

Both teams looked sharp and ready for the challenge from the first whistle, something that compelled supporters to seat on the edge of their seats enjoying every minute of the game. The first 20 minutes elapsed with a seemingly balanced affair.

As the game gained momentum, the Blues, as Township Rollers is affectionately called, started undoing the system of the Ostriches. At the centre of their mettle was the trio of Segolame Boy, Gape Mohutsiwa and Tumisang Orebonye who proved to be a menace to Orapa United’s defence as they were all over them.

They connected well with Ivan Ntege and skipper, Maano Ditshupo. On the other hand, Orapa United relied on the outstanding performance dished by their magic man, Tapiwa Crispen Nyamanziva, who orchestrated all the dangerous moves in the middle of the park.

He passed the ball with impeccable accuracy which made him win a lot of admirers on the day. Unfortunately, their two strikers, Lemogang Maswena and Mbatshi Elias were not on top of their game.

When it looked like the game would go to recess without a goal, Boy stole the show in the 40^th minute.

After receiving a pass outside the box, he dribbled past two Orapa United defenders and curled the ball to the top right corner, leaving Kaelo Joseph stuck between the posts. The game went to recess with one nil in favour of Rollers. After the break, Rollers looked more dangerous every time they had the ball. They kept pressing and finally Orapa United’s defence succumbed to pressure and started showing cracks. Joel Mogorosi could have doubled Rollers lead a minute later profiting from a mistake made by Kabo Mungabe, but his shot went straight into the hands of Joseph.

Orapa United made a subtitution in the 73^rd minute, pulling out Tendai Nyumasi who had a poor game and introduced Gape Gagoangwe. A minute after Gagoangwe was introduced, Rollers defender, Mosha Gaolaolwe scored their second goal of the match, putting the game beyond reach. The hosts started showing signs of aggression in the last few minutes, but it was too late for any miracle. The game ended two nil in favour of Rollers.

The win means that Rollers is four points clear at the summit of the log standing, following a 2 - all draw between Jwaneng Galaxy and Police XI. Six points separate them from third placed Orapa United. Rollers coach, Rodolfo Zapata didn’t say much about his team, and attributed the performance of his players to commitment and hard work.

He was also impressed with the chances his team created. Orapa United assistant coach, Zachariah Mudzadzi also commended his boys for the performance, saying although his team lost to Rollers, he was happy with the overall performance of the boys. “Rollers capitalised from the small mistakes that we made at the back, and hopefully going forward we will put that to rest,” he said. He also said although the loss was their second in a row, it was a passing phase. ENDs