The giant killers of the Winnie Mandela Top 8 soccer tournament, The Rock FC, won the final game against visitors Newlands FC on Sunday.
Hundreds of the Winnie Mandela Top 8 tournament’s supporters gathered at the Winnie Mandela Zone 5 Sports Grounds to watch the final match.
Since the beginning of the season, The Rock FC has won all the finals of the top 8 tournament.
To reach the final game over the weekend, The Rock FC thrashed Oliven FC 7-0 in the semi-finals.
In Saturday’s match, they played against Bochum FC and won 7-2.
On Sunday, The Rock throttled Newlands FC 5-4 on penalties, after a draw of 1-1.
From the first whistle, the challenging encounter saw both teams striving to win as they applied pressure and team spirit.
It was The Rock FC that managed to score through their reliable striker Walter “Nkiri” Ngobeni, 15 minutes into the first half.
The Rock’s lead put more pressure on Newlands, convincing supporters that they stood a chance against their opponents.
Newlands FC was unable to convert any chances at goal during the first half.
When the whistle blew at the end of the first half, the score was still 1-0 in favour of The Rock FC.
In the second half, nothing much changed, with both the teams fighting to dominate possession.
Newlands secured a goal through the attacking midfielder Tshepo Mooks, who took a shot from long-range.
The Rock’s attempts at goal were fruitless in the second half.
The game ended in a 1-1 draw and had to be decided on penalties, which The Rock FC won 5-4.
The Rock FC coach Dennis Mathebula expressed his joy.
“I am extremely impressed with my players’ performance. They always make me a proud coach. Since the beginning of the year, we have been working hard and making sure we win the final games. The game against Newlands was tough but we managed to win. I am thankful to have such dedicated players who work as a team to win,” he said.