Considering how they approached the game in the first half, one could conclude that Emanuel thought it would be a walkover when they faced Winners Park at the Malamulele Stadium on Saturday. Being in eighth position with five points from five games, Winners Park was practically at the bottom of the league, and therefore, they did not give Emanuel a reason to be wary. Within a few minutes into the first half, Emanuel FC was played half-ground with their defence constantly breached by Winners Park strikers looking for goals.

It did not take long for Winners Park to find the net and take a 1-0 lead over the host team. A few minutes later, Emanuel equalised through a penalty kick and equaled the score 1-1. In the second half, Winners Park scored again to assume a 2-1 lead over the host team, dashing any hope that Emanuel’s fans had of winning the match. They were now lagging by one goal. It was too late to undo the damage, even with Emanuel’s best attempts to field some of its top players and substitute others.

Also read: Maruleng Celtic FC dominates at the ABC Motsepe League

The game concluded with a 2-1 loss for Emanuel, which severely hurt their league ranking as they dropped from first to second place. Mpheni Home Defenders have subsequently moved to the top position. While Emanuel FC were at fault for the loss of the game, two doubtful penalty calls by the referee could have influenced the outcome. Currently, Mpheni Home Defenders lead the league with 14 points from six games followed by Emanuel FC with 11 points also from six games.

In third place is Vondwe Xi Bullets (10 points), followed by Munaca FC and Maruleng (10 points each). Madritas FC is in sixth place with 8 points followed by Winners Park, also with 8 points. Giyani Happy Boys, which finished the last season in second place, is currently in eighth place with seven points. Last on the log are United Artists and Musina FC, both with 2 points from six games.