Randburg FC U18 claims derby victory against Velocity Academy Football Club
Velocity Academy Football Club fell short 1–0 to their neighbours Randburg Football Club.
Randburg Football Club grabbed three points from a gritty victory over Velocity Academy Football Club at Ferndale High School.
The U18s competed for more than just points, but also derby bragging rights. Randburg won the Rand Central Local Football Association Championship match by a solitary goal.
They remain in second position as the inaugural campaign comes to a close, and they needed all three points to pull away from Evo FC in third place.
Velocity was unfazed by Randburg’s recent good form, as they pressed the visitors in their half, causing them to make errors. The host’s Bhekumuzi Sofohlo had a great chance after a superb ball was sent into the Randburg box but he failed to finish. Natheem Matthews almost gave the home team the lead but could not hit the target.
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Randburg depended on the strength of Bokgcibane-Botsile Mangole up front. They began to combine better in the second half, keeping possession and rotating the ball.
Deep into the second half, Juvinalis Perez handed the Randburg team the vital lead and the only goal of the game.
Both sides made adjustments, with the home team trying to increase pressure to find the equaliser, however, the visitors closed the door by fortifying their midfield.
Both Lyonenel Ekwe and Nehal Jugath had chances for Velocity but a goal remained elusive.
Randburg FC coach Soso Nkosi complimented his boys for persevering even though they were playing at their peak.
“Winning by multiple goals would have been nice but getting all the points is what matters most,” he said. “We made an effort to put what we learned in training into practice and I’m happy with the outcome.”
He added that while doing well in the league was important, what mattered most was that they were making progress in improving themselves via hard effort.
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