Crusaders Football Club hosted Evo FC in the last game of the Rand Central Local Football Association (RCLFA) Senior Division 1 League for 2025 at St Stithians. The Randburg derby matchup was predicted to be a fierce contest, with the Crusaders needing a win to be named champions, with Midrand United breathing down their necks in second position, and Evo well-prepared to ruin the party for their rivals.

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Thankfully for Crusaders fans, they cruised to victory in a staggering six goal thriller, full of drama that kept spectators entertained.
As expected, the clash against Evo lived up to expectations. Crusaders players put a lot of pressure in their shoulders and did not really show up in the first half. They struggled to manage the game and execute their game plan. The visitors rose to the occasion, causing all sorts of problems for the host’s defence. Evo were the better team and had control of the game. The host team committed blunders in an attempt to find their flow, and Evo was granted a penalty deep into the half. An Evo forward stepped up and slotted it in, resulting in the visitors leading 1–0 at halftime, leaving the home side with a lot of work to do.

The second half, however, was a different story. More focused and calm, Crusaders took back control and looked like a team playing for a tittle. They were awarded a penalty, but Given Thabana hit the post. That did not kill the hunger, though, as Thabana made up for the miss and found an equaliser, putting the score at 1–1.

Gaining more and more confidence, Crusaders midfielder Lwazi Khuboni handed his team the lead, making it 2–1, and keeping the champion’s dream alive.

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The game looked to be slipping away from the visitors, as Simba Zvimba extended Crusaders lead to 3–1. Evo tried to come back with a second goal, but Zvimba was not done. He got his second for the day and Crusaders were crowned champions with a 4–2 victory.

The winter league champions will have little time to celebrate as the RCLFA Premier League is schedule to kick off soon.

The division 1 league, also known winter league, is used by the senior teams to prepare for the RCLFA Premier Division, which grants the winner a promotion to the regional league.

Crusaders coach Lefa Makunyane explained that winning the winter league will give his boys a confidence booster to go into the premier league. “Looking how we performed on this winter league, the team is prepared to compete on the premier league, but we will take each game as it comes, and make sure that we collect all three points.”

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