Thousands of Black Leopards supporters left the Thohoyandou Stadium with sore hearts after their team unexpectedly lost 0-1 to Witbank Spurs last Saturday.

The victory was a bonus to the visitors from Emalahleni, who came to Thohoyandou with the aim of going back home with a draw. Spurs played defensive football from the onset and relied mostly on counter attacks.

It was in the 17th minute when Lidoda Duvha realized that it was not their day. Their diminutive striker, Marubini Manyane, received a beautiful pass from Themba Mabuyango and unleashed a volley from the edge of the box. The ball hit the crossbar and bounced back into the field of play, much to the fans’ disappointment.

Tsepiso Letshisa of Spurs was the first player to go into the referee’s book. He obstructed Bongani Manana in the 35-meter area. Realizing that Themba Mabuyango’s performance was deteriorating with time, the technical team decided to replace him with Ivan Mahangwahaya in the 34th minute. Mahangwahaya formed a deadly combination with Marubini Manyane and Bongani Manana at the forefront.

The wheel of fortune turned against the home side in the 38th minute. Klaas Thabang finished off a square pass from Percy Tau. The goal gave Spurs another reason to play defensive football for the remaining part of the first half. Leopards effected two more changes early in the last half. They replaced Jabulani Ndebele and Katlego Molomo with Mxolisi Ntshingila and Morgan Shivambu respectively.

Shivambu missed a golden opportunity in the 67th minute. His header missed the target by inches. Black Leopards invaded the opponents’ territory for the better part of the last half but their strikers were unlucky. Phathutshedzo Nange, the Leopards’ overlapping defender, tried his luck with a volley in the dying minutes, but the ball went a little wide.