Defending Selati Cup champs win first match of the tournament
The clash of defending Selati Cup champs, KaMhlushwa Real Madrid and former champs, Schoemansdal Junior Aces marked the much-anticipated start of this year's tournament.
The first four matches of the popular Selati Cup soccer tournament drew hundreds of fans to the KaMhlushwa Stadium on Sunday.
A prize purse of over R100 000 is up for grabs and semi-finalists will once again be treated to a training workshop by Lucas Radebe. The soccer star joined the Selati Cup team last year as an ambassador.
READ MORE: Awards ceremony honours Selati Cup’s brightest stars
Block B Elimandlas and KaMhlushwa Junior City Stars (semi-finalists of last year’s competition) opened the day’s matches with a 2-1 victory for the latter.
Shongwe Chiefs faced Naas the Bees next, ending in a goalless draw and 3-2 penalty shootout in favour of Shongwe Chiefs.
A thrilling eight-goal match between Driekoppies Eastern Stars and Schulzendal Eleven Experience followed. The young Schulzendal team did not allow their competitors even one goal, ensuring their spot in the next round.
In the last match of the day, defending champs KaMhlushwa Real Madrid faced former Selati Cup champions Schoemansdal Junior Aces.
Both teams struggled to put points on the board until late into the match, when Zweli Mathaba of KaMhlushwa Real brought victory to his team with a single goal.
The winning teams will move on to the next round and have some time to prepare.
A total of 128 teams from 21 streams and Nkomazi Local Football Association affiliates are competing in this year’s competition.
Kenneth Phiri, the Selati Cup coordinator, thanked all of the tournament’s supporters and sponsors. “We’ve come to expect a high level of performance and impressive spirit of competition from all the teams. Each year, new talent comes to the fore and we look forward to seeing what 2018 will bring,” he said.
No team has managed to win the Selati Cup consecutively due to the fierce competition between the teams.
Soccer fans will be able to enjoy matches over three months, with the tournament ending in a spectacular finale at KaMhlushwa Stadium in June.
Another eight teams competed at Driekoppies and Naas stadiums yesterday and on Saturday and Sunday a number of others will be playing at stadiums around Nkomazi.
Visit the NKLFA Facebook page for fixtures and weekly results.
