11 Tigers victorious through penalties

Malvern’s 11 Tigers FC had to dig deep to get their victory against Jeppe’s Abaquduli FC.

The two teams clashed at the Rhodes Park Sports Grounds on Sunday, June 15.

Although the match ended 1-1 at full-time, 11 Tigers won 4-3 on penalties after extra-time.

Abaquduli FC were the first to open the scoring, after showing their intent from the first whistle. They kept pushing forward in numbers and were duly rewarded when a cross from the right wing connected with a powerful header from an Abaquduli defender, towering over the Tigers FC defence to leave the goalkeeper with no chance.

The goal seemed to open up the game, with both teams trying hard to keep possession, hoping to make something of the ball.

At half time, Abaqunduli were 1-0 up. The second half started at a high tempo, with both teams attempting to use the long ball to neutralise the packed midfield. That plan seemed to work for Tigers as they managed to find the equalizer through the same passage of play.

A long ball was played behind the Abaquduli FC defence, an attempted clearance bounced in favour of a Tigers FC player and he showed composure and slotted the ball home.

At full-time, the score was 1-1. After thirty minutes of extra-time, the game went down to a penalty shootout. The first three penalty takers from each team managed to score, while the last two from Abaquduli missed. The final penalty for 11 Tigers hit the back of the net, making them the 4-3 winners on penalties. @JoburgJourno