Polokwane City head coach Phuti Mohafe was a proud man after his charges finally defeated a team he referred to as having ‘abused’ his side for a long time in rivals Sekhukhune United.
Mokibelo Ramabu broke the hoodoo with the only goal in the 1-0 league win at the old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday. The result was also Babina Noko’s first defeat of the season which saw them drop to second position on the log with 20 points in nine matches while City rose four places up to fourth with 15 points from same number of games.
Mohafe related how his City side managed to beat Sekhukhune while also highlighting the magnitude of Rise and Shine’s victory because it was their first win over their neighbours since they were promoted to the Premier division in the 2021/22 season.
“It’s a big win for us,” said Mohafe.
“Beating a team that has been abusing us for this long since the inception of the Premier League, Sekhukhune into the Premier League and Polokwane City I don’t remember us beating them, I don’t know after how many seasons. So, we are making and we are breaking records.”
“I think the first half, what we wanted was to go behind the fullbacks because we knew that they are attacking with the fullbacks and their centre-backs are slow. So, we didn’t want to play those long balls, but we wanted to play from the middle, going wide so that we can get them with crosses. But we were so fortunate that [Mokibelo] Ramabu took that shot and it went into the goal. It was good for him and good for the team.
“And second half, we decided to go in a mid-zone defense. We defended a little bit deeper, and I think that’s what helped us. And we were able to deal with their aerial power, and I think on that aspect, we did great we did well for the team.”
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