The Dolphins were kicked out of the celebrated Nedbank Cup competition, after they lost 2-1 to Nobela All Stars at Eltivillas on Saturday.

The boys from Shirley approached the match like a house on fire, with their midfielders distributing some telling passes to the strikers. They threatened to score five minutes into the match. Rinae Phawana forced his way through the defence of Dolphins before passing the ball to Dakalo Ratshitanga. His attempt missed the target by inches.

That did not demoralise his team mates as they continued to play like a united team The match was 20 minutes old when Bongani Shirinda made his presence felt. He unleashed a powerful shot from outside the box and the keeper of Dolphins, Elvis Matsimela, watched in disbelief when the ball hit the back of the net.

Dolphins lost shape in the midfield and Stars capitalised on the setback to score their second in the 26th minute. Bornwise Malobo dribbled pass three players in a row and blasted in a rocket from inside the box.

The second half saw Stars pressing hard in search of more goals. Realizing that their chances were slim, Stars abandoned their positions and packed themselves at the far back. Matome Sebola scored the only goal of his team when he beat the offside trap in the 78th minute and passed the keeper easily.