Mokwena starts Egyptian league with victory as De Reuck and Maseko make headlines

Simba SC captain Rushine De Reuck scored the winning goal for his side, while Rulani Mokwena began his Egyptian league campaign with victory and Thapelo Maseko made his debut for Copenhagen.

De Reuck converted from the penalty spot as Steve Barker’s team secured a 2-1 away win over Singida Black Stars. The defender’s successful spot-kick proved decisive in a closely contested match and gave Simba SC all three points on the road.

Mokwena also enjoyed a winning start to his league campaign in Egypt, with Pyramids recording a convincing 3-0 victory away against Ghazl El Mahallah. The result followed an intensive pre-season camp in Turkey, where the club prepared for the new campaign.

The opening-day success gave Mokwena an ideal start to his league work with Pyramids. His team’s three-goal margin ensured they began the campaign strongly after completing their preparations abroad.

In Denmark, Maseko made his first appearance for Copenhagen, coming on for the final 13 minutes of a difficult afternoon. Copenhagen were beaten 4-0 by Viborg.

There was also a full-match appearance for Gift Links in the same league. Links played all 90 minutes for Aarhus as they drew 2-2 with Odense.

In Germany, Ime Okon featured for the entire match as Hannover 96 produced the biggest result of the round-up. They defeated Hemelingen 9-1 in the DFB Pokal, advancing after a dominant display.

Yusuf Maart completed the full 90 minutes for Ried in Austria as they claimed a narrow 1-0 victory over Grazer AK. Fellow South African Jaedin Rhodes was not included in the squad for the match.

Olwethu Makhanya continued his impressive run of performances in Scotland, playing the full match as Rangers earned a 1-0 win over Jablonec.

In Portugal, Yaya Sithole made a brief appearance for Tondela. He played seven minutes as his side suffered a 1-0 defeat by Academica.

There was limited playing time for Puso Dithejane in Major League Soccer. The in-form player featured for three minutes as Chicago Fire drew 1-1 with New York Red Bulls.

The results provided a varied weekend for the South African players and coaches involved across Europe, Africa and Major League Soccer. De Reuck’s late decisive contribution, Mokwena’s positive league launch and Maseko’s first minutes for Copenhagen were among the main talking points.

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