After a tense goalless standoff between Alex Royal Tigers and Gauteng FC in the first half, the Tigers finally broke through in the dying minutes of the game to secure a 1‑0 victory in the ANLFA Promotional League on Saturday.

Tigers’ coach Banele Sangcozi said he never doubted his side would find the net, despite missing several chances in the first half.

Read more: Alex Royal Tigers prove why they top the log

“I think it was on the 70th minute or so, I said gents we are going to score on the last minute, you must just watch out.”

Not long after, Tigers’ player Ndamlelo Sikhwari finally delivered his side’s long-awaited goal, confirming Sangcozi’s prediction.

“The power is in the tongue. Whatever you confess and declare with your mouth, it is going to happen. As long as you believe and have faith. When it happened, I was not surprised,” Sangcozi said.

He added that the team’s hunger in the final stretch showed their determination, noting that “the gods of football usually favour those that are hungry.”

Also read: 3–0 victory for Alex Royal Tigers over Johannesburg Rovers Academy

Sangcozi also reflected on his opponent’s performance, saying that Gauteng FC might have equalised had they maintained focus until the end.

On the other side, Gauteng FC coach Promise Tshabalala took pride in his team’s improvement despite the narrow defeat.

“I am very proud of the boys because the last games we played were very bad. So, the way we were playing shows that we have really improved,” Tshabalala said.

Last week, Gauteng FC suffered a heavy 4‑1 loss against America Football Institution. This time, they held the log leaders to a single goal, showing improvement.

Tshabalala said the team now has a clearer sense of its strengths and weaknesses and will focus on correcting those in training ahead of their next fixture.

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