School football derby ends in 3–2 victory for Thuto Lefa

Thuto Lefa Secondary School’s U15s claimed victory against HTS N Diederichs THS in a hotly contested Gauteng West District 2 league soccer match on May 16.

The match was slow in the beginning but the players from both teams picked up the pace within 15 minutes of the game.

N Diederichs took the lead and scored their first goal in the first half. Thuto Lefa responded quickly, equalising just 10 minutes later through a well-placed header by their captain, Mongezi Mokabane.

The game remained tightly contested, with both sides creating several scoring opportunities. N Diederichs scored their second goal which left Thuto Lefa with no chance but to try and equalise again. Oratile Moloantoa fired a powerful shot which marked it as the second goal he has scored for the season and he says he is looking forward to scoring more goals.

With the score tied, both teams pushed forward in search of a win. It was Thuto Lefa who finally broke the deadlock two minutes before the match ended. A well-timed cross from the right wing found the head of Tidimalo Mokgaswa, who rose above the defence to nod the ball into the net, sealing their victory.

“I am happy with the team’s victory,” Mongezi said.

Team manager and teacher at Thuto Lefa, Kabelo Marokane said, “We are happy with our U15’s progress and we hope they’ll continue to display such great performance.”

Gift Seziba, who is the team manager and a teacher at N Diederichs, added that their strategy worked out well for them because the players executed it very well.

“It has been a very stressful build-up to the match against Thuto Lefa, we have been to two of their matches to analyse their build-ups. We knew we had to come up with a plan to go through them,” Gift said.

Despite a frantic finish and several close calls, Thuto Lefa managed to hold on to their slim lead, securing a crucial win. The match was a testament to the skill and determination of both teams, promising an exciting remainder of the season.