Panorama Football Club U11 A team fought back from two goals down to beat hosts Old Parks 4–2 in a central division one youth football fixture on August 21.

Panorama coach Mndeni Zulu said his side made life difficult for themselves early on, but credited the boys for staying calm and turning the game around. “The game was a good game. We needed to grow into it. We were our own enemies, you know, at the start, conceding the first two goals, but I’m happy.”

He said the turning point came when Panorama pulled level in the final stages of the first half. “The boys got themselves settled. They corrected their mistakes, they fought, and they made sure that they played well, and they came back. There wasn’t too much to complain about.”

Read more: Tylor bags a hat-trick against Panorama

With the scores level heading into the second half, Zulu said taking the lead became the priority for his players. “The next goal was important. The next team was going to take momentum and go forward with it, which is what exactly happened.”

Zulu said the reaction from his players after they scored the crucial goal showed how much it meant to the team. “After the first goal, the celebration from the boys, they felt that this goal was important to take us ahead. So, in terms of what I told them, it was just that the next goal is important. We need to fight and make sure that we are the team that gets that goal.”

For Old Parks, the result was a hard one to take, after a strong overall showing in what has been a step up in competition for the club this season.

Coach Darin Vd Munckhof said his side had moved up from division two to division one this year and were still adjusting to the higher standard. “It was a good game. This season’s been a big step up for us, so it’s been a big learning curve, but I thought it was competitive. I thought we held our own.”

He said conceding a penalty late on summed up the risk his side took while pushing for an equaliser. “A bit unlucky to give away the penalty at the end, but it happens when you’re chasing the game. I was proud of them. We played very well. Work on their structure a little bit and ball retention, but all in all, not a bad performance.”

Also read: Panorama football club to compete in Sweden

Vd Munckhof said he preferred to focus on the positives when speaking to his players after a defeat, saving corrections for the training ground. “I think I’m pretty honest with them. I tell them about the positives that we’ve done. I try not to single out the mistakes. Just generally as a team, what we can work on and where we can improve.

“I like to reinforce the positives and what we do well. The negatives we can work on in training, so there’s no point making them feel bad about what went wrong on a Friday night. They still want to enjoy their weekend.”

Follow us on our Whatsapp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok for the latest updates!