The city was divided as GU and Township Rollers clashed under floodlights at the National Stadium on Wednesday in a highly anticipated BPL fixture, marked by its derby intensity. A total of seven yellow cards and a red card were issued in a fiercely physical and fast-paced contest.
Old alliances were momentarily forgotten as Rollers' Obonwe Maome and assistant coach Joel Mogorosi, both formerly affiliated with Reds, faced their erstwhile teammates. Conversely, Mothusi Cooper, once associated with the Blue side, donned the GU colours.
The near-capacity crowd witnessed two rapid-fire goals within the opening five minutes. Segolame Boy continued to trouble the Reds, nodding in Obonwe Maome's free-kick in the second minute. However, GU swiftly responded, with Thatayaone Kgamanyane finding the net just three minutes later.
Popa secured their victory on the hour mark, benefiting from a Mothusi Johnson own goal, as Rollers emerged 2-1 victors. The game showcased end-to-end action, with the woodwork rattled once. A 30-minute halt occurred in the 36th minute when one of the floodlights malfunctioned. The fans exhibited remarkable patience, engaging in song and dance as the power issue was rectified.
The victory propels Rollers four points ahead of GU, who are level on points with defending champions Jwaneng Galaxy. GU's head coach, Pontsho Moloi, characterised the derby defeat as a minor setback in the team's pursuit of the title. "Not a good result, but a performance. I am not unhappy. I will be lying to you
. I am very, very happy with the boys, and I am happy with what they did on the pitch; they left everything on the pitch, so I can only congratulate the opponents," he said. "We have a game in three days as well. We go back, and we will recover tomorrow (Thursday), and we go again. We are a big team; we are a big side, and we know these things happen, and we will dust ourselves off and go again this weekend," Moloi stated post-match.
The Reds will return to the National Stadium this Saturday afternoon to face Masitaoka. In other fixtures, Rollers will visit Police XI at the Lobatse Sports Complex, while Eleven Angels and Sua Flamingoes will clash at the Francistown Council Stadium. Matebele FC embarks on its inaugural visit to Palapye Stadium, where Morupule Wanderers await them. BDF XI and Holy Ghost will meet at the VTM Arena, and Nico United will host VTM at the Sam Sono Stadium. The lone fixture on Sunday features Security Systems and Orapa United at the Lobatse Sports Complex.
