Reds leave Nico seeing red

Mqondisi Dube | Tuesday October 27, 2026 10:48

Majombolo fought relentlessly, but it was the Reds who carried the day with two decisive strikes to book their place in the semi-finals. Facing an undefeated side was always going to be a tall order for Nico, who welcomed former player Monametsi ‘Sunday’ Kelebale to the dugout after recently parting ways with Vincent Kgaswane. However, it was not a winning return for the former Zebras player, whose side put up a gritty display but were ultimately undone by goals from Namibian Aubrey Amseb and regular scorer Thabo Maponda.

Amseb, who was voted man of the match, swept home from close range in the 34th minute before Maponda effectively settled the contest in the 69th minute, heading home a corner delivered by the Namibian. GU coach Sean Connor said his side deserved the victory, although he acknowledged that it had been a tough encounter. “I thought it was a good game to watch. We played really, really well and over the 90 minutes I think we deserved to win, but it was a very difficult game,” he said. Connor was reluctant to promise the Reds’ fans glory in the inaugural edition of the African Hero Top 8. “What I can promise is that I will work hard, the players will work hard,” the coach said. Despite the elimination, Kelebale expressed pride in his team’s performance. “We failed to convert the chances that we created, but when you look at the performance of the team, they played well.

We were unfortunate to concede two goals, which I thought could have been avoided. But it’s part of the game, particularly when you are playing a team like Gaborone United,” he said. Kelebale added that he had found the team in good shape following his arrival last week to replace Kgaswane. Nico will now turn its attention to the league, while GU march into the semi-finals, where they will face Jwaneng Galaxy. In the other semi-final, Mochudi Centre Chiefs, 3-1 victors over Morupule Wanderers, face Orapa United's conquerers, Sua Flamingoes.

GU 2 (Amseb 34th, Maponda (69th) Nico 0