The 2015 Sasol League National Championship kicked off at Flavius Mareka Stadium in Sasolburg with great excitement as teams went head-to-head on the first day of the tournament.
The 2015 Sasol League National Championship kicked off at Flavius Mareka Stadium in Sasolburg with great excitement as teams went head-to-head on the first day of the tournament.
The nail-biting Western Cape versus Eastern Cape affair, saw defending champions Cape Town Roses FC (Western Cape) getting their title defence off to a great start after emphatically beating tournament debutants Red Roses FC (Eastern Cape) 4-0.
Cape Town Roses FC’s Nandipha Booi and Sisanda Vukapi netted a goal each in the first half. Red Roses fought back bravely but were thwarted by a resolute Cape Town Roses defence.
The Western Cape side scored two more goals in the second half to complete a miserable day for the debutants.
Cape Town Roses FC’s Head Coach, Xolile Madikane felt they could have done even better were it not for the prevailing heat wave which has gripped the country of late.
“I think the weather played a major role as it drained the players, particularly in the second half of the game. We missed a lot of chances to score even more goals and we need to sharpen things upfront to ensure that we get to the knockout stage of the tournament.”
Red Rose Coach, Jovula Bhekisisa is aware of what they need to do to in their next Group match to avoid repeating the mistakes made in their first encounter:
“I think we have to go back to the drawing board and speak to the players to fix our midfield. Today our players were not holding the midfield as I instructed them to do. Cape Town Roses were the stronger team today and it is clear why they are the defending champions of the tournament.”
Meanwhile, on Field B a tightly contested match saw the 2014 bronze winners and tournament regulars Coal City Wizards of Mpumalanga lose 2-0 to Limpopo’s Kanatla Ladies FC.