Shock loss for NMMU

NMMU failed to turn on the magic that saw them reach last season's Varsity Football Challenge final as they crashed to a 3-0 defeat to newcomers UJ in Johannesburg last night.

After early pressure by the home side, UJ striker Ruwell Jagger was yellow-carded for simulation after he was deemed to have dived in the area.

The match turned fiery later in the first half with both sides committing cynical fouls.

NMMU held their breath after playmaker Cloudius Sagandira was floored by a clash of heads in the UJ penalty area. It was a false alarm and the No10 was up and running soon after.

UJ sent the boisterous home fans into raptures early in the second half when, after 10 minutes, midfielder Ponshu Nyathi put them ahead after good interplay in the middle of the park.

The home side were rewarded again in the 22nd minute when Nyathi found his way into the area and beat goalkeeper Lyndsay Jennings to make it 2-0.

NMMU seemed to lose pluck after that, while UJ continued their onslaught.

Last year's finalists then succumbed to a third in the 80th minute after some dreadful defending allowed striker Tebogo Mandyu to go on a run before unleashing a low drive to make the score 3-0.

The score stayed 3-0 to the newcomers and the match ended after 93 minutes much to the delight of the home team, who will be pleased to have recorded an upset victory over last season's No2 team.