Plays of the week

Star

Percy Tau is living the dream at Club Brugge in Belgium this season and on Tuesday walked on to the pitch at the Stantiago Bernabeu Stadium, as his side faced off against 13-time winners Real Madrid in a Uefa Champions League Group A battle. Far from being intimidated, Tau’s first touch saw him gliding away from a couple of Real defenders and winning a foul, and it wasn’t long before the Bafana Bafana star had sprung the offside trap, and set up Emmanuel Denis for Brugge’s opener. Tau stung the palms of Thibaut Coutrtois in a mesmerising first half, his team going into the break 2-0 up. The game finished 2-2, and Tau faded a bit after the break, but his star is only getting brighter.

Flop

Norman Mapeza is the latest “victim” to be placed in the Chippa United hot-seat, and one can only hope the Zimbabwean has a couple of other jobs already lined up for when Chippa Mpengesi ultimately pulls the trigger on yet another head coach. Chippa have had 29 coaches, in a permanent or caretaker capacity over the last 10 years, one of the most ridiculous statistics you will ever see, and a sad indictment of an owner that does not appear to have any idea how to run a football team. Just this season, Mpengesi axed Clinton Larsen after a 2-1 defeat at Orlando Pirates, and then sacked caretaker coach Duran Francis after just two games, leaving assistant coach Mbuyiselo Sambu on the bench for the 1-0 loss at home to Bidvest Wits on Tuesday night.

Quote

“I think we should have got a penalty. The new rule says when your hand is up in the box you must blow. The referee chickened out. I’ve suffered twice … with AJ (Andile Jali) against Bloemfontein Celtic, they gave us a penalty,” told SuperSport TV, acknowledging the one spot-kick Sundowns have been given in the league this season. “When it’s Chiefs, it’s always a penalty, it was a penalty for Chiefs yesterday. I must get a penalty also. I must benefit. Chiefs are benefiting from the mistakes of referees. I’m highlighting the realities,” – It clearly was about Chiefs for Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane, as he spoke to SuperSport TV after Wednesday evening’s win at Black Leopards.