After UJ and TUT both booked their spots in the final via penalty shootouts, we look at the defining moments in their contrasting campaigns.
UJ
1) UJ got their season off to a flyer with a big 6-2 victory away from home against NWU-Mafikeng, sending out a strong message to some of the tournament favourites on day one. However, they could not quite build on this in their next four matches.
2) After going four rounds without a victory, UJ kept their hopes of reaching the semi-finals of Varsity Football alive with a 2-0 victory over their Johannesburg rivals in Round Six of the round robin phase. Katlego Ntsabeleng and Samuel Warder got the goals to reignite their challenge for a spot in the semis. A defeat would have ruled them out of contention.
3) Tshepo Tolo scored one of the most important goals for UJ in the round robin phase, netting the equaliser in a 1-1 draw against Gauteng rivals TUT. It might not have been a victory, but it was still an important result. UJ was one of only two teams in the round robin phase to hold TUT to a draw.
4) UJ goalkeeper Mpumelelo Motsoahole has proven to be a good penalty saver in recent weeks. After making a save to deny UFH’s Andile Batyi from the spot in the round robin phase last week, he rose to the occasion in the semi-final penalty shootout. He saved CUT’s fifth penalty, diving to his right to send his team into the final.
5) In their final round of the regular season UJ had to travel to Alice to take on UFH. UFH wanted to give their fans something to shout about and UJ were under pressure early on when they conceded a goal. But they dug deep and managed a scrappy 4-2 victory. It may seem insignificant, but even a draw would have left them in fourth, playing TUT in the semi-final rather than CUT.
TUT
1) The first victory in any competition is always the most important one. And TUT had to dig deep to get the three points in the opening match against Wits. Sipho Sibiya scored the winner in the 90th minute, stepping up to take a penalty. TUT won 2-1 and they would go on to finish the round robin phase unbeaten.
2) Top striker Jacob Hlalele made sure that TUT owned the bragging rights in the Tshwane derby, when they beat Tuks 1-0 in a lively clash where both sets of supporters were in full voice. A derby win anywhere in the world gives players the confidence they need to build momentum.
3) Everyone would love to play a semi-final at home, and TUT booked their home semi-final with a match to spare, with a convincing 4-0 over CUT. With great support at home, TUT always had a good chance of progressing to the final and they did just that.
4) The inclusion of goalkeeper Dumisani Msibi in the competition this year has proven to be a master stroke from TUT. The youngster, who has previously been called up to the Bafana Bafana team by coach Shakes Mashaba, has pulled off some good saves and the experience he has gained from playing at international level has helped his teammates.
5) When TUT faced UWC in the final round of Varsity Football neither team had much to play for, although UWC uncertain of other results knew that a win might see them sneak through to the semis. TUT had nothing to play for and could have fielded a second-string side and still ended top. But they put up a fight and came away with an away draw against the defending champions. The points mean little. The fact that nobody has defeated them in the competition means much. Their invincibility going into the final will be at the back of UJ’s mind. They’ve been beaten by two teams who didn’t even finish in the top four.
By Tshepang Mailwane
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