Just when it looked as though the two sides would have to settle for a share of the spoils, substitute Michel N’Guessan delivered the decisive blow in the dying moments to hand the Bloemfontein outfit their first win of the campaign.

The hard-earned three points provide a timely boost for Siwelele, who climb to 14th on the league table. For Polokwane City, however, the defeat extends their winless run to eight matches across all competitions, leaving them in 11th position and searching for answers.

Thabiso Sesane. Photo: Charlé Lombard

Siwelele will have little time to savour the victory, with the two sides set to meet again in the Last 16 of the Carling Knockout Cup. The Free State club will now fancy their chances of making it back-to-back wins against their Limpopo opponents.

The hosts showed plenty of attacking intent from the outset, enjoying the better share of possession and looking to make things happen through the lively Tebogo Potsane. Siwelele worked their way into promising positions and tested the Polokwane defence, but their finishing let them down in the opening exchanges.

Whenever the home side found a way through, they were met by a stubborn Oscarine Masuluke. The experienced goalkeeper, who was previously nominated for the FIFA Puskás Award, produced three important first-half saves to keep Siwelele at bay.

His heroics ensured that Polokwane went into the half-time break with the scores level at 0-0, despite Siwelele creating enough opportunities to feel that they deserved more.

The visitors continued to frustrate their hosts after the restart, while Siwelele pushed desperately to turn their territorial advantage into a breakthrough. As the minutes ticked away, the possibility of another frustrating afternoon began to loom for the Bloemfontein side.

Interim Siwelele coach Godfrey Mosoetsa turned to his bench in the 87th minute, introducing N’Guessan in the hope that the Ivorian could provide the spark needed to break the deadlock.

Tebogo Potsane was the Man of the Match. Photo: Charlé Lombard

Having already announced himself with a goal on debut against Kaizer Chiefs, N’Guessan once again showed his value when it mattered most. The forward found the back of the net in stoppage time, with the goal recorded in the 90th minute, to finally beat the impressive Masuluke and send the home supporters into raptures.

It was a moment of relief for Siwelele, who had done much of the attacking work but needed a late touch of quality to get over the line.

For Polokwane, it was a bitter pill to swallow after holding firm for almost the entire contest. Masuluke had done his part to keep his team in the game, but the visitors were ultimately unable to withstand Siwelele’s late pressure. The final whistle confirmed a valuable victory for Mosoetsa’s men, who can now approach their upcoming cup meeting with renewed confidence.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cvs