Phuti Mohafe wary of Sekhukhune United in top-three battle

Rise and Shine’s latest 1-0 win over SuperSport United at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Friday night stretched their unbeaten run to six matches as they now sit just two points behind second-placed Orlando Pirates, who do have three games in hand.

Mohafe believes fourth-placed Sekhukhune United will give them a run for third spot and CAF Confederation Cup qualification this season, but insists a top-eight finish remains their top priority.

"There is a team that is giving us problems, and that team is our neighbouring team, Sekhukhune United, so in terms of us gunning for number three and going to Africa, if it happens then why not take the chance," said Mohafe.

"So, if the opportunity arises then we should grasp it, so I think that will also give us the motivation and courage to win matches and work even harder so that we can see ourselves still in the top eight this season."

Mohafe has been praised by his colleagues for his side’s tactical ability, which was again evident against the experienced Gavin Hunt, and the coach shared how he went about snatching the three points.

"They gave us a hard time, especially when we started the match with [Samir] Nurkovic, [Terrence] Dzvukamanja, and [Vincent] Pule operating on our right side with the long balls, cutting inside and the crosses," he noted.

"But after we were able to cut those balls off with [Thabang] Matuludi now picking up Nurkovic, that is where we got it right because we started to play our normal football of passing, and we eventually got one [goal].

"I think it was a tough match for both teams, it's just that we allowed them to have too much space and time on the ball."

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