A LATE goal by Collen Vilakazi sealed a 2-1 victory for Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) in Johannesburg on September 27, as they lifted the Varsity Football trophy.
The much anticipated Varsity Football final took place on Thursday evening, where the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) hosted TUT at a packed Bidvest Stadium in Johannesburg. The hosts were in their first ever final, having previously stumbled at the semi-final stages. TUT, on the other hand, managed to secure the title in 2016 and lost out in the 2017 final at the hands of their Pretoria rivals University of Pretoria (Tuks).
The match got underway after the great fireworks display prior to kick off, and it was the visitors who set the field alight first, looking very dominant with Wits often depending on counter-attacking moves inside the first 20 minutes.
Photo: Annette van Schalkwyk.
Just past the 22nd minute, Wits struck first when captain Tshireletso Motsogi evaded a TUT defender to head past Sikhumbuzo Ncube and sent the home support into a frenzy as they celebrated an early lead. With the score at 1-0, Wits continued to surge forward in search of a second, with the crowd spurring them on. Nothing came of it in the end, with TUT eventually finishing the half with a few opportunities of their own going wide, which meant Wits went into the break leading 1-0.
Photo: Annette van Schalkwyk.
The second half was more of an open affair, with both sides slogging away at each other’s defences. Wits kept a hold of their clean sheet until just after the 15th-minute mark, where TUT found themselves inside the Wits box. The Wits defenders failed to clear their lines and the ball fell at the feet of Godfrey Mahlala, who made no mistake slotting it past Wits shot stopper Matthew Carelse to level matters at 1-1.
The rest of the game produced plenty of action, with the ball moving in both directions at a rapid pace. The last 20 minutes saw TUT push Wits back in their half but the hosts stood strong until just before the 90-minute mark when an unmarked Vilakazi calmly headed his side into the lead with just three minutes additional time remaining. In the end, it was enough for TUT to bag their second Varsity Football title, coming out 2-1 winners.
Photo: Annette van Schalkwyk.
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