Morapedi heaps praise on Gaolaolwe
Larona Makhaiza | Tuesday April 16, 2024 09:50
That was after they defeated Nico United 1-0 on Saturday at the National Stadium. With the game approaching the 90 minutes mark and penalty shootout, Gaolaolwe struck late on the 84th minute through a towering header to break the deadlock and eventually send his side to the FA Cup last eight stage.
Morapedi was full of praise for the resilience his side displayed. He singled out Gaolaolwe for his heroics. “As much as Gaolaolwe plays at the back, he has rescued us on a number of times. He is not doing any favour, he is doing his duty and we said today let us separate responsibility and opportunities,” Morapedi happily said.
The gaffer stated that as much as he would like to see Gaolaolwe doing his primary job, which is to defend, he would like him to be on the score sheet as he knows he is very much capable of finding the back of the net. “As much as we would like to see him defend, on a set piece he should be up there and if you remember well, him and Simisane Mathumo scored so many goals together and these are the players that when the chips are down, they come in handy,” he said. Now that Rollers is two games away from the final, Morapedi revealed that he aims for the double so that his charges end the season on a high note.
“I don’t want to blame God but God got me used to winning a league and a cup so that is what I want,” Morapedi said. Though Popa Popa won the game, it was a hard-fought victory as Nico came out with guns blazing, looking to upset the Gaborone side. Nico launched successive attacks on the home side but the final third decisions let them down.
Kabelo Babusi’s shot missed the target by a whisker. On the brink of half time, for the first time in the game, Rollers nearly broke the deadlock after Obonwe Maome chipped over the goalkeeper, Gaolatlhe Tshupegetso. But the keeper was on high alert and tossed the ball over for a corner. Soon after recess, Tinashe Makanda bottled a golden opportunity to put Nico ahead after receiving the ball all by himself in the box. The game went on to end 1-0 in favour of Rollers. Head coach for Nico, Teenage Mpote, was happy with the performance despite his team bowing out of the cup.
“The boys played really well, credit to them and the technical team. They planned properly for Rollers. In the first half, Rollers did not have anywhere to play and we could have scored one or two goals,” Mpote said. The teams Rollers: Bophelo Kealeboga, Motsholetsi Sikele, Simisane Mathumo, Mosha Gaolaolwe, Tshepo Matete (Onkarabile Ratanang), Phenyo Serameng, Omphile Vissagie (Shaun Gcumeni), Marcell Papama, Godfrey Tauyatswala, Thabo Rakhale (Thabiso Mekonkoane), Obonwe Maome (Lobopo Moremi)
Nico: Gaolatlhe Tshupegetso, Stephane Mothwalo, Gothusang Osego, Seabe Toteng, Bapaletswe Simon, Kudakwashe Tsvamuno (Nigel Mlauzi), Kelvin Ndebele, Tshepiso Matshuba. Thatayaone Magazi, Tinashe Makanda, Kabelo Babusi (Johnson Kepaletswe - Karabo Rauwane).
Rollers 1 (Gaolaolwe 84th) Nico 0