Botlhe 'Ringo' Rankgomo's solitary strike separated the two sides as ECCO's hopes of winning the league title suffered a major reversal.
The defeat sees the former league champions surrendering their second position on the log standings to high-riding Mochudi Centre Chiefs who thrashed BDF XI 4-0 on Sunday. It was ECCO's second defeat in a row and the fourth of the season. They are now 11 points behind log leaders, Township Rollers, who defeated Miscellaneous 1-0 on Saturday. They have two crucial fixtures in the next two weeks, which could be their defining moment in their title chase. They host Chiefs in Francistown this coming weekend before they play Uniao Flamengo Santos the following weekend. After Santos, ECCO would have another tough fixture in which they could either improve their chances of winning the league or wait for another season when they host Rollers. Chiefs seem to have found the rhythm and score goals for fun. With Pontsho Moloi slowly returning to form, there is no doubt that they will fight to death. Although they have never found it difficult in the past to beat BDF XI, a 4-0 victory came as a surprise to many considering the current performances of the army side. Like ECCO, Chiefs also have two critical games in the next two weeks as they take on Rollers after their game against ECCO. The game is likely to attract more attention considering the off-the-field events that have seen Joel Mogorosi's infamous move to Chiefs stall pending the decision by the Players' Status Committee (PSC). Rollers are likely to find it difficult this coming weekend against BDF XI although Sekhana Koko continues to bang in the goals. Koko came to his side's rescue again in a game that many believe Miscellaneous should have at least come out with a draw.
