The Betway Premiership took centre stage this past weekend with the first round of fixtures taking place across the country. The long wait was finally over, as some teams introduced their new signings while others continued from where they left in the last campaign.
Chippa United, introducing a new coach in Sinethemba Badela and a number of new faces, held Mamelodi Sundowns to a one-all draw at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Striker, Arthur Sales took the lead for coach Miguel Cardoso’s team but Khaya Mfecane cancelled the lead and secured a point for the Gqeberha-based side to mark the start of the new campaign.
Sekhukhune United caused an upset when they raided Orlando Stadium and left with maximum points in front of an almost capacity crowd, as they beat Orlando Pirates 1-0 on Saturday evening. The closely-contested match had a number of chances created by both sides, but it was coach Eric Tinkler’s charges that got the result when Siphesihle Mkhize found the back of the net in the 48th minute.
Siwelele FC recorded a convincing win against Golden Arrows to announce their ‘arrival’ in the Betway Premiership under coach Lehlohonolo Seema with a 3-1 win at Dr Molemela Stadium on Saturday. A brace from Siviwe Magidigidi and a goal from Vincent Pule proved enough to put a smile on the vociferous Siwelele crowd that filled the stadium, and reminded everyone that Bloemfontein remains one of the most passionate cities when it comes to local football. Keenan Phillips found the back of the net for coach Manqoba Mngqithi’s side.
Kaizer Chiefs beat Stellenbosch FC 2-0 at the sold-out Athlone Stadium on Sunday evening with Nkosingiphile Ngcobo scoring from a well-taken freekick in the 15th minute of the game before former Stellies attacker, Ashley Du Preez drew a foul inside the opposition box and was awarded a penalty that was converted by Makabi Lilepo to give Amakhosi three points to open their league account.
With that brief summary, have a go at selecting your Team of the Week and see how close you get to the official Soccer Laduma selection.
