Menzi Magubane
Black Leopards’ fate was sealed on Wednesday night, and they have officially been relegated from the DStv Premiership.Â
They lost one game too many, succumbing 3-1 away to Cape Town City.
The Limpopo side had been at the bottom of the table for some time, but last Wednesday they gave themselves a fighting chance when they beat Kaizer Chiefs.
But survival wasn’t meant to be, and they came up against a merciless City side in their backyard. This was City’s first game since Eric Tinkler returned to the hot seat last week.
The axing of Lidoda Duvha saw them becoming the second Limpopo team to get the chop in two consecutive seasons. Last campaign it was Polokwane City.
Leopards, together with every other team. still have one more game to play on Saturday, which will officially conclude the 2020/21 season. Saturday will also decide who goes to the Promotional or Relegation Play-Offs.
There are still a couple of teams that could be dragged into the fateful 15th place. But for now, Chippa United hold that position after failing to win on Wednesday.
They held Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila to a goalless draw. A place in the league’s top eight will also be decided in Saturday’s games.
TS Galaxy still holds that precarious position of eighth, but they have potential challengers in Baroka and Chiefs. Galaxy needed to win on Wednesday against Stellenbosch to secure the spot but they only managed to come away with a point.
Baroka also held Orlando Pirates to a 1-1 draw and that result saw them staying in ninth place and just two points behind Galaxy. Amakhosi, who moved to tenth, gave themselves a fighting chance with a 3-2 victory over Golden Arrows.
This was the first victory for interim coaches Arthur Zwane and Dillon Shepard. Chiefs last match is against Galaxy, meaning that if they want to get that top-eight place they must win and hope that Baroka draws or loses.
At the top, AmaZulu have secured their first ever CAF Champions League spot after beating Swallows 1-0. Pirates also moved to the Confederation Cup spot after Arrows’s defeat.
Image source: @OfficialPSL
