Phuti Mohafe (centre): Polokwane City FC.
Polokwane City coach Phuti Mohafe said his team’s 0-1 loss to Magesi FC in a Betway Premiership match on Tuesday ended his dream of going a year undefeated at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in South Africa.
Thabang Sibanyoni’s 20th-minute strike won it for Magesi who are pulling away from the drop zone, frustrating Mohafe’s plan to remain undefeated in the league at home.
The Rise and Shine mentor shared his frustration during a post-match interview with SuperSport Television. “We wanted to make it a year without losing at home, so this match was going to mark this milestone. It is so unfortunate that we lost,” he said.
Mohafe attributed the defeat to a lack of creativity in the attacking third. “It was a good [Polokwane] derby. We did not threaten that much in terms of goal-scoring creativity. We didn’t expect to lose but I don’t think we could have scored in any given time,” he said.
“It was just one of those performances. It is becoming a norm that we do not play well in the first half but pick ourselves up in the second half. This is the third match that this is happening and this is not on.”
Magesi coach Owen da Gama saluted his wards for a spirited performance which he attributed to long hours of hard work. “All credit must go to the players," he said.
"Our game plan worked 100 percent...the players fought for their lives and this was a culmination of a lot of hard work. The players have been working hard, sometimes training thrice a day...you can’t beat hard work.”
City are in third place in the log table, 13 steps behind runaway leaders Mamelodi Sundowns while Magesi are second from bottom.
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