There are times when a draw in football is not a bad result but last night’s Varsity encounter in which UP-Tuks and Wits played to 0-0 draw was not one of them.

Tlisane Motaung (UP-Tuks coach) is quite honest in his assessment of his player’s performance in Johannesburg saying outright that it was one of the most disappointing performances he witnessed since 2013.

“I don’t know what happened on the field, but the players were not able to execute any of the things we have been working on during training. Wits were the better team because we gave them a lot of time and space on the ball.

“The plan was that we should pressure them from the onset of the game and disrupt their play. We did not do so. During halftime, I had some hard words for the players. Telling them if they continue playing like they are they will be lucky to get a draw. They did play better during the second half, but it was a case of too little too late. We were still not able to force Wits to make errors, and we were also not really able to force entries. 

“I honestly can’t remember having seen a Tuks team play like they did last night. Nothing worked. It is a performance we need to forget as quickly as possible. When we have our debriefing session, there is going a frank and honest discussion as to what happened.

“If we want to qualify for the semi-finals they players will get back to playing as they did in the games against UJ and UKZN. We need to be more aggressive on the field.”

The UP-Tuks players received quite a few yellow cards last night. Motaung is of the opinion that not all of them were deserved. 

“I don’t like to criticise a referee, but I don’t think last every decision made was correct.”

The UP-Tuks goalkeeper, Giovanni Idi, is the one player who impressed. He deservedly received the Samsung Moment of Brilliance award.

Awards:

FNB Player of the Match: Tshireletso George Motsogi (Wits)
Samsung Moment of Brilliance: Giovanni Idi (UP-Tuks)
Debonairs Real Deal Save: Giovanni Idi (UP-Tuks)

Next Thursday, 23 August, UP-Tuks will be playing the University of Limpopo at home.