Down but definitely not for the count is how the Tuks players feel after yesterday’s 2–1 loss against UWC in the Varsity Football Tournament.
UWC ensured with their victory that there was all to play for over the next two weeks. Five teams are still in contention to play in the semifinals, but only four can do so. UWC, Tuks and Northwest got 10 points, while VUT and Kovsies got eight.
Tuks captain, Tshepiso Mahlangu, had no excuses for what happened on the field.
“We had the game in our hands because we dominated the match, and they were not causing any problems for our defence. But as you know, football is all about making scoring opportunities count. If you don’t, it is a given that the opposition will hurt you. UWC only had two scoring chances, and they have capitalised on both.
“Even when we were 2-0 down, everyone still believed we could win. It enabled us to get a strong comeback going. The deciding moment was when we ‘fluffed’ scoring from a penalty. If we scored, I think we would have gone on to win the game.
“Unfortunately, it wasn’t our day, so we will take this as a wake-up call and return to the drawing board. There are many positives we can take from yesterday’s match. We showed that we have that monster mentality of not giving up until the ref says it’s over. Not many teams stage a comeback, being 2–0 down.”
Atlegang Masemola admitted to being disappointed with the outcome of the game.
“But it is not the end. We’ve been in similar situations before. There are still two games left and six points for the taking. I personally think yesterday was our best game yet. We were the superior team for the first 30 minutes. At that time, we should put the game to the sword. We easily could have been 2–0 up, but we were not clinical enough. It is something we need to work on.
“UWC grew in confidence as the game progressed. It led to them starting to push us back. Their second goal was a big blow to us. Massive credit to the lads for never giving up. Over the next few weeks, we need to be ruthless.”
Joshua Wood agrees with Masemola that the outcome could have been different if Tuks had not squandered their chances in the first 30 minutes.
“We were the better team but became unsettled after UWC scored. That led to us making mistakes and not sticking to the game plan.
“Once the second half started, we struggled to get into the game, and they capitalised on that scoring again. From there on, the team showed good character and kept on fighting. The biggest positive from the game is that we did not give up on each other.
“To summarise, football is not always fair. The best team on the field does not always win. We need to become an even deadlier team. In times like this, we also need each other the most and keep believing in ourselves and our coaches.”