Milford were once again victorious in their latest Betway Premiership assignment following a hard-fought 1-0 win over Sekhukhune United at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
In a game where chances were few and far between, Milford came out on top owing to Mvelo Zikayoko’s lone first-half effort which separated the two sides.
Sekhukhune were first out of the blocks during the early stages of the first half, with Chibuike Ohizu letting off a right-footed shot inside the area that Siphamandla Hleza saved in goal.
Babina Noko continued to create chances as the half progressed, as seen with Tshepo Mokoane producing a shot in the 19th minute that sailed beyond the bar after a well-worked move toward the Milford box.
However, Milford took the lead in the 24th minute following a positive spell on the ball. After making their way into the box, Menzi Chili picked out Mvelo Zikayoko, who subsequently rifled the ball into the top right corner from the right side of the area, leaving the goalkeeper unable to stop his shot.
Babina Noko piled on the pressure after conceding and leading up to the break, creating numerous scoring chances before falling short at the final hurdle.
Milford saw most of the ball after the restart and often starved Sekhukhune of possession leading up to the hour-mark. Both sides attempted to get on the scoresheet with shots from range after the 60th minute mark; Siphesihle Mkhize and Thabana Mabena let fly in either half, neither of which created real damage.
The pace of the game slowed down dramatically en route to the 80th minute mark, with neither side creating any notable scoring opportunities.
It was much of the same for both sides toward the end of the 90 minutes, where both sides battled to make their opportunities count going forward.
Nonetheless, the game ended 1-0 in Milford’s favour, recording their second win on the spin in the Betway Premiership. Babina Noko, on the other hand, saw their two-game winning streak in the league come to an end.
Milford: (1) 1 (Zikayoko 24’)
Sekhukhune: 0
Milford: Hleza, Bhengu, Cele, Mbhele, Mdluli, Mthethwa, Zikayoko (Mthabela 75’), Chili (Mabena 62’), Nomandela, Ndlabi (Gxakoshe 92’), Masilela (Jwara 62’)
Sekhukhune: Buthelezi, Mcaba (Kazeem 46’), Gilbani, Matsimbi, Mobbie, Mkhize (Ndlovu 81’), Khupe, Mokoane, Rammala (Makubo 65’), Vandala (Ramabu 65’), Ohizu (Muzeu 46’)