Gaborone — Thabo Rakhale's solitary strike against Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday was enough to send Township Rollers community into a frenzy.
Rollers supporters left the National Stadium on cloud nine following a victory, which their team secured in the dying minutes of the friendly game. Just when the multitudes that thronged the National Stadium were almost settling for a deadlock, a telling long pass from the left by Letlhogonolo Chenjela found Rakhale unmarked on the far right.
The lanky striker had enough time to cleverly slot one past Bruce Bvuma in Chiefs goals.
Rollers assistant coach, Oarabile Seabo, said during post-match press conference said they used the game to measure their level of fitness.
"To perform like that against a team of Chiefs calibre was a good thing for us. We, however, wish we had faced them after at least four weeks of pre-season training than the two we did because that would have helped gauge our readiness better," he said.
However, Seabo said they were on the right track since most players played for more than 30 minutes.
For his part, Kaizer Chiefs coach, Molefi Ntseki, congratulated Rollers for the win, but said his team's performance was a disappointment, especially the way they conceded the goal.
"We allowed them to make a diagonal pass and left the far post unmarked. This leaves us with a lot of questions. We are disappointed with the result because we came here looking to give a good performance," he said.
Apart from the result, Ntseki said this was a good exercise ahead of their season opener this weekend.
"Whatever came out of this game and the one against Young Africans in Tanzania were lessons. They are setbacks we learnt from and they will help us regroup and work on our weak areas," he said.
Ntseki said that despite the loss, he was confident that in terms of tactical approach, they were on the right track.
And, Rakhale, who is a South African and former Orlando Pirates player, said playing against Chiefs had always been a motivation even during his time at Pirates.
"Playing against Chiefs always brings the best in an individual. I am also happy to be back playing soccer after a year and a half," he said. He appreciated Rollers'technical bench for giving him the chance.
BOPA
