Sefole destroy Matidza Benfica

Morgan Sefole of Mabvuka Heroes destroyed Matidza Benfica, and he scored a brace in the final of the Fani Denga Mabirimisa knock-out at Mabirimisa on Saturday.

The match started at a fast pace, with both sides throwing caution to the wind with their fiery play. The Mabvuka lads timed their passes to perfection, but lacked power and experience. The strong defender of Benfica, Maanda Mannzhi, proved to be a force to be reckoned with and he marshalled the defence very well.

The Heroes' left flank, Steven Ramavhale, received a beautiful pass in the 19th minute. Instead of keeping the ball and trying other possible ways of scoring, Ramavhale's shot went astray. Four minutes later, Rendani Nephawe of Benfica received a golden opportunity and disappointed everyone when he shot straight at the stranded goalkeeper, Hangwani Musekwa.

The Matidza lads initially showed a spirit of commitment, but their original stamina soon vanished and their back-line started to leak. Heroes capitalised on the slack defence and scored their opening goal in the 48th minute, when Morgan Sefole hit the net after an excellent corner kick by Lufuno Maphaga.

Soon thereafter, one of the Heroes'  kingpins, Herry Ramavhale, received his marching orders for a second booking. The other players who were cautioned with cards were Phathusthedzo Budeli and Lufuno Maphaga of Heroes.

Budeli committed a big blunder when he shot straight to Benfica's stranded keeper, Langanani Mukwevho, in the 76th minute. Although Mukwevho was already well beaten, Budeli chose to turn and shoot straight to him, instead of chipping the ball and tapping it into the empty net.

Morgan Sefola completed his brace in the 80th minute. He caught the Benfica keeper off-guard and blasted in a half volley from inside the box.