Tuks beat TUT to win VarsityFootball trophy
Tuks's football team has ensured that the University of Pretoria won their fifth Varsity Sports title of 2017 last week.
Tuks was crowned Varsity Football champions last week when they outplayed fellow Pretoria students, TUT, to win 2-0 in the final.
This victory means Tuks is the most successful team in the history of the Varsity Football Tournament, winning it three times since the competitions inception five years ago. They were also victorious in 2013 and 2014.
TuksFootball is the fifth of the University of Pretoria’s teams to earn a Varsity-title so far this year. The others being Varsity Cup rugby (Seniors and the Young Guns), Varsity Cup athletics and Varsity Cup women’s hockey.
The action in the final was unfortunately spoiled by incidents on the pavilion. The TUT Vice Chancellor has indicated that the off the field incidents will be thoroughly investigated and that TUT will appropriately deal with them.
Tuks head coach Tisane Motaung said before the game he wanted his players to “suffocate” TUT. They did more than that. The UP-Tuks players entertained the crowd by an amazing tactical display.
Apart from maybe the first five or so minutes, the visitors were in complete control setting up one attacking move after the other. There was a definite plan with every kick. UP-Tuks were unlucky to only lead by one goal by halftime.
To single out any player in such performance is always unfair but Claudio de Almeida impressed with his tactical savvy throughout the tournament and he did it again in the final.
Odwa Makha also deserves mention. He scored seven goals in the tournament which is nearly half of all the goals scored by Tuks in the tournament.
However, Makha refuses to take sole credit for his goal-scoring skills claiming that he was just finishing off the moves his teammates set up.
Jeremiah Nkwana also proved last week why there is a reference to him having magic feet. He set up both of UP-Tuks’s goals with nimble footwork.
For Motaung it was a case of mission accomplished.
“The University deserved the Varsity-trophy and we delivered. That is what makes my job as a coach rewarding,” said an exuberant Motaung after the final.
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