University of Johannesburg mentor Nthabeleng Modiko is pleased to have led the Orange Army to the second Varsity Football final in a row after beating the outgoing champions, University of the Western Cape, 1-0 in the semifinals at Wits University stadium on Monday afternoon.
A repeat of the 2025 Varsity Football final came in the semifinal with last year's victors, the University of the Western Cape, facing old foes in the University of Johannesburg. The Orange Army went into this fixture still licking wounds from last year's defeat and aiming to get one better than the previous edition. 'Dunga' is pleased her charges managed to beat UWC to book a spot in the final. Former Banyana Banyana star says revenge was never on the forefront of her mind heading to the encounter but had her eyes glued to the final.
Dunga says her side has been in more finals only to come second and looking forward to going one better "Reaching back to back finals is something we are proud of. But at the same time we know getting to the final is not enough anymore. We have been here many times before. And, we have experienced the disappointment of finishing second. The mission is to go one step further this time around. Hopefully we can bring the trophy home to the University of Johannesburg where it belongs."
The Supersport football pundit will face the University of Pretoria (AmaTuks) in the final on the 19th of August at the UJ Stadium in Soweto. AmaTuks will make their third appearance in the final after eliminating their Tshwane rivals Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), in the second semifinals. Coach “Dunga”says facing AmaTuks won't be different from any other opponents. With AmaTuks having won the Tshwane derby and eliminating the record six-time champions in the process. The Arcadia-based outfit will be beaming with confidence, however the Kroonstad-born coach insists that her side is ready for the challenge
"We respect the final and our opponents. You can't say one opponent is better or easier than the other, especially in the final. AmaTuks have earned their spot in the final and that tells you everything about the quality they possess. TUT have built their legacy in this competition and their six titles speak for themselves. But, AmaTuks have their way of playing and quality so we have to respect that. For us is not about who we could have played but more on who is before us now. We will do our analysis and capitalize on the weaknesses we will pick up and impose our game to ensure we win this title."
"That is the major benefit of playing Varsity Football because we are constantly developing players. There is always movement within the squad through graduation, players going into professional setups or getting opportunities abroad. Varsity Football gives us a competitive environment where young players can be exposed to high level football. It also allows us as the technical team to assess players in a competitive environment rather than only at training." Concluded.
Writer: Malose Wa Ga Lamola
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