Betway Premiership: Polokwane City break Chippa hearts with stoppage-time winner

Just days after snatching a stoppage-time win over Golden Arrows, City once again showed resilience and patience, delivering the decisive blow in the dying minutes to edge past a determined Chippa side.

It was Chippa who struck first, taking the lead just five minutes into the match. Ayabulela Konqobe, riding high on confidence following a standout performance in midweek, capitalised on poor defending and fired a low shot into the bottom corner to silence the home crowd. The early setback shook the hosts, but they responded with purpose. Manuel Kambala came close to levelling matters shortly afterwards, only to miscue his shot from outside the box.

The equaliser arrived just before the halftime break. A handball by Seun Ndlovu in the penalty area gave City a golden opportunity, and captain Lebohang Nkaki made no mistake from the spot, blasting the ball into the top corner. The goal shifted the momentum heading into the interval, with the hosts visibly buoyed by their late first-half dominance.

Chances fell at both ends in the second half, with Bonginkosi Dlamini drawing a sharp save from Elson Sithole and Kambala forcing the Chippa keeper into action with a powerful header. Despite the end-to-end nature of the match, the finishing touch eluded both teams as the game approached full time.

Then, just as the contest seemed destined for a draw, Polokwane found the winner in the 94th minute. A free-kick deep in Chippa's half was floated into the box by Puleng Marema, and Thabang Matuludi rose highest to meet it with a towering header. Sithole remained rooted to his line as the ball flew past him and into the net, sparking euphoric celebrations from the Polokwane bench.

The victory reinforced Polokwane's growing reputation as a team that fights until the final whistle. For Chippa, the defeat marked their fifth of the season and saw them drop to 16th on the table ahead of a daunting midweek clash against leaders Sekhukhune United. Polokwane, meanwhile, will look to extend their momentum when they face Orbit College on Wednesday.

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