Five teams begin Motsepe Foundation Championship with opening-weekend wins

Five teams started the new Motsepe Foundation Championship season with victories, including Hope Football Club on their historic professional debut and Magesi’s immediate response to relegation from the Betway Premiership.

The opening round began on Friday, when Real Native FC secured a 2-1 home victory over Cape Town City. The club, recently renamed after previously being known as Casric Stars, needed a late penalty to claim all three points.

The other Friday fixture ended level, with Venda Football Club and Lerumo Lions drawing 1-1.

Saturday brought a landmark result for Hope Football Club, who marked their first match in professional football by beating AmaTuks 1-0 at Athlone Stadium. Former Stellenbosch DStv Diski Challenge player Tauriq Gamildien scored the decisive goal to give Hope a winning start to their new campaign.

There was also a debut for NW University, although they had to settle for a point after drawing 1-1 at home against Upington City.

Leicesterford City recorded a narrow 1-0 home win over Orbit College, who were recently relegated from the Betway Premiership. Kavendree Makhene scored the only goal of the match.

Magesi, the other club to drop out of the top flight, began their Motsepe Foundation Championship season with an away victory. They defeated Midlands Wanderers 1-0, with Nyakala Raphadu registering the match-winning goal.

Highbury also claimed three points on the road under manager Vusimuzi Vilakazi. They beat The Bees FC 2-1, while Hungry Lions and Gomora United played out the weekend’s highest-scoring draw in a 2-2 encounter.

The first round opened with two matches on Friday, 21 August. Real Native FC beat Cape Town City 2-1, while Venda Football Club and Lerumo Lions shared the points after their 1-1 draw.

Six fixtures followed on Saturday, 22 August. Hope Football Club defeated AmaTuks 1-0, and Hungry Lions drew 2-2 with Gomora United. NW University and Upington City finished 1-1.

Leicesterford City overcame Orbit College 1-0, while Magesi won 1-0 away to Midlands Wanderers. The Bees FC were beaten 2-1 at home by Highbury FC.

The results mean five sides have begun the campaign with victories, while the opening weekend also featured three draws. The round included competitive debuts for Hope Football Club and NW University, as well as the first league fixtures for the recently renamed Real Native FC.