Social Unrest comes to life in the Garden town (Tzaneen, South Africa). Alleged salary disparities and corruption are the everyday norm in the running of the Greater Tzaneen Municipalities (GTM). Come as we investigate the truth from the ground up. As we talk to the very people who are affected by everyday decisions of the municipality and the alleged culprits.

Mohau Ramashidja reports...

Pirates nail Zanaco FC

 

Mohau Ramashidja

A 1–0 lead in the first half of the second leg CAF champions’ league encounter was certainly enough to keep Orlando Pirates motivated throughout to walk away with a 2–1 win. “The away goal was crucial for us. We are getting there,” said Orlando Pirates coach Roger de Sa.

The home side welcomed Zanaco FC at Soccer City stadium determined to increase the away aggregate lead scored in Lusaka. Pirates made their intentions clear in the first half when the unfavoured Masuku, with only 6 appearances, scored a long range cracker outside the 18 yard.

Adamant for a comeback, it was Zanaco who outpaced the home side to find the back of the net in the 48^th minute, thanks to Musonda’s brilliant header.

With matters now being even, Pirates continued to create chances only to find their efforts going abyss. A beautiful chance orchestrated in the 67^th minute by Pirates’ midfield– finding Klate who seemed to have left his scoring boots at home. His shot went wide, left with only a keeper to beat.

With each moment being crucial for both sides, Pirates’ Klate made way for the troublesome Mpho Makola. Hungry from the word go; it was Makola who made his presents felt in the opposition’s camp, 5 minutes into his play time.

Left with no option Zanaco committed into a foul hoping to nullify the threat like they did with Pirates’ Jali in the first half. But that was not to be as Makola soldiered on to score a stunner into the top corner with a free kick.

With only 14 minutes left on the clock, the home side continued to show more dominance and desire to walk away with a win. Eager to impress as always it was Pirates’ Mahlaba who surged forward like a hot knife through butter– releasing a scorcher outside the 18 yard only to miss the crossbar by inches.

Match ended on 3–1 aggregate in favour of the Buccaneers.    

             

Wits comes up on top against arrows

 

By Mohau Ramashidja

Bidvests Wits came up on top as they walked away with the 3 points in the Absa Premiership encounter against Golden Arrows.

The home side suffered a 2–1 defeat from the students thanks to Vilakazi’s and Faty’s impeccable shots which came in the second half.

The first goal came about in the 46^th minute thanks to Langwe’s immaculate passing skills which found Wits’ captain Vilakazi in a good position to lob a shot in. With a goal behind, it was Arrows who played with great desperation trying to hit back as Wits made its last substitution hoping to maintain the lead. But that was not to be, as Arrows found the back of the net thanks to Nguzane’s left foot thunder bolt out of the 18 yard in the 82^nd minute.

Adamant of winning the day’s match it was Wits’ midfielder Faty who kept his nerve inside the 16 yard area to find the back of the net.

Given the great performance the students exhibited in the field of play, it was Wits’ midfielder Asive Langwe who walked away with the man of the match award. “The composure that I have as a player comes from my coach. He always tells me to relax whenever I’m around the ball,” He said.       

PSG keep matters neutral against Barca

By Mohau Ramashidja

All of Paris came out to play given the handful they had to deal with in the UEFA champions’ league quarter final contest between FC Barcelona and Paris ST Germain FC.

The French Log leaders welcomed FC Barcelona to a congested Rarc Des Princes stadium. Filled to capacity, Barca found themselves outnumbered in the field of play as PSG fans came into form as the 12^th man.

A gruesome contest it turned out to be as yellow cards started flying out in the genesis of the match. Taking no nonsense and committing one, it was Barca’s defender Pique who picked the first yellow for manhandling PSG’s Ibrahimovic in the 18^th minute.

For a while, PSG’s hard work at training seemed to be working for them in neutralising Barca’s Lionel Messi. But as Ibrahimovic missed each scoring chance granted to him, it was Messi who continued to crack his skull to decipher the opposition’s defence. And so it was in the 38^th minute where Dani Alves curled in a spectacular cross to Messi who needed no second invitation in nailing in a shot with his left.

Fatigue getting the best of the most expensive defender worth 33 million Pounds, Tiago Silva found himself trailing behind as Messi surged forward in search for his second, unfortunately missing the top corner by inches.

The second half turned out to be as entertaining as the first. Barca found themselves without a scoring genius as the injured Messi made way for Cesc Fabregas. PSG’s Beckham bowed out of match with a record of being the first player to have made four appearances with different clubs in the UEFA champions’ league.

Frustrations loomed in the Barca camp as no player could rise up to the occasion of utilising 402 passes shared in the 70^th minute into scoring chances. Adamant to keep up, it was Ibrahimovic who forced in an equaliser after a set piece was deflected by the woodwork in the 79^th minute.

Wasting no time in a space of 10 minutes, Barca made use of the penalty granted to them. And it was Barcelona’s master passer and captain Xavi who had no problem in sending Sirugu to the wrong side while he placed it to the right.

With 4 minutes left on the clock, Barca cleared for safety hoping to walk away with a win. But that was not to be as Ibrahimovic availed himself yet again, this time to set up a pass with a header to Matuidi who ended the evening with a thunder bolt.

Score line 2-2.        

        

Manchester loses out on UEFA  

By Mohau Ramashidja

Real Madrid’s 3–2 aggregate win against Manchester United left many in question over referee’s decision in the 56^th minute. This follows when Nani was sent off with a straight red after his stats up on Madrid’s Arboloa’s ribcage.

With a man down from both sides, it was Madrid who had the upper hand of unleashing one of their rare talents Modric, to punish the unsettled Man United. Modric’s goal came in the 67^th minute when he curled in a shot out of the 18 yard to find the back of the net.

However this was not the case with Madrid in the first half. It was more of a rat and a cat chase game, with Manchester knowing it was going to get away with the cheese if they could increase the lead given their away goal at Santiago Bernabeu.

Both sides remained resolute of maintaining a clean sheet in the first half. But it was Manchester’s Rafael who proved to be more witter in defence when Madrid’s captain Sergio Ramos found himself mind boggled when he deflected Nani’s cross into an on-goal.
 

An emotional match for both teams, Ryan Giggs making his 1 000 appearance for the Red Devils and CR7 assigned to take out a team he once served in before moving to Real Madrid. Whatever emotional state both players were in, it all came down to who wanted to make it in to the next round more. And it was Cristiano Ronaldo who stood up to the occasion when he slid through a shot thanks to Huguain’s impeccable cross in the 68^th minute.  
         

With 20 minutes remaining on the clock, Manchester made three of its substitutions hoping for a comeback. Cleverly, Welbeck and Rafael made way for Rooney, Young and Valencia to revive the struggling side. Though intended to cause an upset for Madrid, it turned out to be a platform for Madrid’s keeper Lopez to prove to world that Cassillas wasn’t the only one who could perform world class saves, mostly when needed.

Match ended 2–1 in favour of Madrid.

 

African Champions crowned

By Mohau Ramashidja

Winning the orange Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals both as captain and coach of the Super Eagles certainly proved that Stephen Keshi was the right man for the job. This followed his bold decision of leaving out some of Nigeria’s gifted key players such as Peter Odwemingie in his squad leading to this year’s tournament.

Although there where many sceptics surrounding his decisions on his squad, the young side did not disappoint as they poured out their hearts and souls in every match they played leading into the finals. It was in the remaining last 5 minutes of the first half where Mba embraced the back of the net with a strike after teammate Victor Moses’ shot was deflected onto his path. A 1–0 win was enough for the Super Eagles to end Burkina Faso’s spirited campaign, as they relived their 1994 glory days.

Ghana's Asamoah Gyan

Given the fact that the stallions came in the tournament in search for a single win, they bowed out of the tournament being proud of what they managed to achieve. The campaign which resulted into Burkina Faso making its debut into the AFCON finals surfaced as they outplayed Ethiopia in the group stages. This was then followed by when they demolished Togo in the knockout stages and then clashing head-on with Ghana in the semi-finals for a spot in the main event.

However securing a spot in to the finals was not an easy run for the stallions. Having entered into the semis as underdogs and being undermined by their very opponents, the Black Stars sought to make use of every slight glimpse of insecurity to punish their opponents. And it was in the 13^th minute that Ghana capitalised on their opponents’ error, securing a lead thanks to Wakaso’s well-placed penalty. But the night was still young for the Black Stars to be ordained as the shining starts for that particular night. And it was Ghana’s captain Gyan who was adamant to increase the lead with his thunder bolt strike but his efforts came to nought as his shot was deflected.

Stallion's Striker Bance celebrates a return goal

Determined for a comeback it was Burkina Faso’s midfield who displayed a sheer grace of accurate passes but the Black Stars were quick to respond to their tactics. Aware of the potential threat Ghana unleashed the hungry Gyan with a spectacular pass from the midfield, only to find Daouda Diakite well positioned to make a comfortable save. Another golden opportunity was put to waste in the 38^th minute as Ghana’s Solomon Asante missed the top corner by inches.

The first half certainly proved that the Stallions’ striking force was having a hard day in the office. Little did the Ghanaian’s defence know that Burkina Faso’s striking elite had already adapted into their opponents defensive style of play. Forcing their way through behind enemy lines it was’ Stallions’ striker Bance who netted home an equalizer after his header was denied in the 51^st minute.

With matters now being even, the Stallions defended in their numbers and launched counter attacks every now and then in pursuit for a win. Feeling the pressure, both sides committed unnecessary fouls in no go areas but both failed to capitalise on each of those. Dragging themselves into extra time both squads continued to make visits to each other’s goal posts, but efforts came to nought. 

After an exhausting 120 minutes of play time, it was Bance who did the honours of sealing a 3–2 penalty shootout win over Ghana. This comes after Vorsah missed the first shot for the Black stars penalty spots.    

Looking at how Nigeria made it into the finals. The only way to describe it is: with sheer grace. The Super Eagles entered into the semi-finals hungry for a win while Mali played as if they were obligated to and not out of their self-will. Wasting no time it was Nigeria’s Eckiejile who hammered home a brilliant header thanks to a spectacular cross from the right flank in the 25^th minute. Aware of Mali’s loophole in the left side of defence, it was Emmanuel Emanike who cruised through the right flank to see Brown Ideye netting home the second goal for Nigeria.
 

Trailing with two goals behind, Mali maintained their composure and knocked the ball around as if they were the ones in the lead. Adding to the contrary, the Super Eagles continued to stretch every ligament they had in pursuit of increasing the lead. Hungry for his third goal of the tournament, Ideye’s second attempt at goal was kept at bay.
 

But that did not deter the Super Eagles. It was Emmanuel Emanike who proved himself not only to be a brilliant assistant to Nigeria’s striking force, as he netted home a set piece which was deflected by Mali’s defence into the back of the net.

Entering into the second half both managers made tactical changes, each hoping it would lead to making it into the finals. And it was Nigeria’s Stephen Keshi who came up on top when his super-sub Ahmed Musa clobbered in Nigeria’s 4^th goal between the legs of the Eagles’ keeper.  Managing to score a conciliation goal in the 74^th minute thanks to Mali’s Cheik, it was all too late for the Eagles to make it for a comeback.

Being crowned the deserved African champions, Nigeria is set to represent Africa in the Confederations cup scheduled to take place in Brazil later this year.  

Bafana takes a bow from AFCON

By Mohau Ramashidja

South Africa’s 1-0 lead against Mali in the first half was certainly not enough to get the Bafana squad into the AFCON semis. “We should have scored an avalanche of goals against Mali,” said minister of sports Fikile Mbalula.

The 3-1 end result against South Africa came into form after Mali’s Captain Keita scored a comeback with a header in the 58^th minute. However this was not the case in the first half. The Eagles found themselves doing most of the defending while the Bafana squad surged forward in search for goals. Unable to keep up with the fast pace of football the South African squad displayed, it was Mali’s defenders Tamboura and Susoku who frustrated the Bafana’s attacking force.

But that was not enough to wither SA’s desire for a goal. After making a brilliant save, it was Itumeleng Khune who triggered a counter attack on Mali by releasing an impeccable pass to the midfield. Determined to make most of the opportunity, SA launch what looked like a ‘pyramid’ form of attack on Mali to outclass defence.

The trio consisted of May Mahlangu as the pinnacle distributor, Thuso Phala as the cross messenger and of cause Striker Rantie as the gifted assassin. Being aware of what was at stake, panic got in the better of the Eagles in the 30^th minute, resulting to inaccurate passes made and a scoring chance flying over the woodwork. Approaching the dying ends of the first half Mali showed heart for goal but it was the ever impressing Dean ‘Mlungu’ Firman who turned their attempts to nought.

In the second half Mali adapted to SA’s style of football and showed resilience and willingness to win the match. However that did not happen in record time as the Bafana squad was reciprocal in every attempt made for a goal. Forced into extra time, the score lines remained stagnant resulting into penalties.

All it took was three flawless saves and three well taken penalties by Diabude, Tombura and Traore for Mali to join Ghana in the Semi finals.