Penalty drama seals 5-3 victory for Junior Rabbits
In a tightly contested U13 semi-final at the Kopano Easter Games on April 12 in Tsakani, Junior Rabbits triumphed 5-3 on penalties over Real Heroes after a tense match.
Tsakani – U13 Real Heroes and Junior Rabbits teams went to battle in the semi-final games of the Kopano Easter games on April 12 at the Ext 13 Green Point ground.
The game started on a high note with spectators cheering for their teams and coaches communicating with their players.
Each team traded the ball with caution. The Real Heroes coach, Sabelo Mpotyi said the game was good although it ended in penalties.
“We kept the same pace and spirit throughout the game and I am truly happy. In the second half, my players did not uphold their momentum. We did not create scoring opportunities for ourselves, which is why we didn’t score any goals.
“I am not happy with how the penalties ended, my players did not even put in effort to kick the ball towards the right direction,” he said.
Mpotyi emphasised how unhappy he was with the conclusion of the game, saying he aims to put in more effort during practice.
Junior Rabbits won the penalties with a score of 5-3. Their head coach, Motsamai Mphuthi said the first half of the game was a bit tricky and difficult due to fatigue.
“We played the first two games of the tournament. Playing this game was difficult as we were already tired and unable to maintain our focus.
“The second half was even more tiring as the time played was longer than what my team is used to. They slowed down. I realised they were even more tired by then,” explained Mphuthi.
He cited that he is beyond happy that his team won the game despite of all the challenges that they faced. He added that the school holidays slowed down his team and impacted their level of fitness, but he aims to correct this fallback during practice in between the week.
“We are one of the most feared teams in Tsakani and winning this game, as tired as we were, proves how good we truly are.
I am happy with the win. We always win. Every game we play, we conclude on a high note,” he added.
Final game results:
- U11: Real Heroes 2-1 Junior Rabbits
- U13: Junior rabbits 5-4 Tsakane Vultures
- U15: Abagqilazi 2-0 Junior Rabbits
- U17: Kopano Football club 0-2 Abagqilazi
