Chouka's Title Chase Dented As Highlanders Edge Closer
Koketso Kgoboge | Monday April 9, 2018 14:58
In fact Motlakase plummeted to third position after Sua Flamingoes came from behind to send Morupule Wanderers to the cleaners with a 2-1 win in Pilikwe and leapfrog Chouka into second.
Highlanders are four points clear of Flamingoes and five points above Chouka with six points still to battle for. Wanderers have fallen off the race for an automatic promotion since they are seven points adrift and they will be left to battle for a play offs berth.
Chouka will be left leaking wounds after wasting glorious chances in a back to fourth affair against Movers who are sitting precariously at the wrong side of the table. The game started at a frantic pace as both teams went in search of an early goal in a must win encounter for both.
Chouka’s first threatening chance on the quarter hour mark fell for Omphemetse Bolofete who met Lapologang Motlogi’s corner with a perfect header, but defenders cleared off the line. A minute later Serati Semadi brushed past the Movers left quarter back and picked Itumeleng Mabuaaeme’s run with a telling cross, but the latter saw his well connected effort from the edge of the box brush outside the foot of the upright.
The half continued at the urgency and the end efforts in both ends were too hurried and often ended in the goalkeeper’s gloves or out wide.
Two minutes before the break, a miscommunication between the Movers goalkeeper and his defender nearly cost them when a ball slipped past them towards the goal, but another defender recovered quickly to clear off the goal mouth.
Movers returned a better side from the break. A minute into the half Baboloki Maphakela climbed high up to meet an Olebile Maisa corner but failed to generate enough power for his free header.
That was followed by a 25 yards Keamogetswe Ganetsang’s dinking short that caught Chouka’s goalkeeper out of his line but he did enough to fingertip for a corner. Chouka responded on the 55th minute when Semadi picked Mabuaaeme in the 16-yard box but the Chouka talisman disappointedly headed directly into the goalkeepers gloves.
The rejuvenated Ganetsang pulled another great save from Chouka’s number one with a curled effort from 40 yards on the 67th minute.
Chouka had the clearest chance of the day three minutes later when Mabuaaeme released Samuel Makgoro one on one against the goalkeeper, Makgoro controlled well but took his eyes off the ball and the goalkeeper easily collected his miscued effort.
Bolofete who controlled a rebound in the box and skied his effort on the 84th minute summed up Chouka’s bad day in the office.Both coaches felt a draw was a fair result although not enough. “We are sitting precariously and we need maximum points in every game. We knew this one was not going to be any easy and we accept the result,” Movers coach Leposo said.
His counterpart Pule Mogotsi was fuming. He felt the referees ended the game before time. “We played well, we had chances and we couldn’t take them. I will take the draw and the race is still on. However, I am suspicious of the time. Forget additional time but we did not even reach the normal time,” he charged.
The Teams:
Movers: Mopati Baasako, Olebile Maisa, Kediemetse Radikoko, Ronald Mazebedi, Baboloki Maphakela, Mogakolodi Segolame, Onkgopotse Phuthego (Bikie Kgothang), Chikudza Masole, Mogakolodi Gaofetoge, Flagan Gaseitsiwe (Keith Leposo), Keamogetswe Ganetsang
Motlakase: Kagiso Moganetsi, Odirile Gabaleswe, Omphemetse Bolofete, Tshephang Boithatelo, Serati Semadi, Samuel Makgoro (Allen Ndodole), Kentse Kgolokwane, Thabo Wetshoemang, Katlego Ralegoreng (Thapelo Chabalala), Lapologang Motlogi, Itumeleng Mabuaaeme