Share

Wits too Bright for Maritzburg

Cape Town - Goals from debutant Kris Bright and Sibusiso Vilakazi took Bidvest Wits to a 2-0 victory over Maritzburg United in their Absa Premiership match at Bidvest Stadium in Johannesburg on Wednesday night.

Wits settled the quicker of the two teams and established a good rhythm to their passing and movement, with the likes of Sibusiso Vilakazi, Elias Pelembe and Daine Klate combining well behind debutant striker Kris Bright.

The New Zealander saw relatively little of the ball, but still made a strong first impression by opening the scoring in the 32nd minute. A Daine Klate corner kick found the striker unmarked in the danger area and he duly powered a header into the net via a helpless Virgil Vries to make it 1-0.

Maritzburg were guilty of giving the ball away too easily in the first half, resulting in strikers Evans Rusike and Mohamed Anas seeing little action and being unable to test Wits goalkeeper Moeneeb Josephs.

The visitors opted for a double substitution at the start of the second half, sending on Manti Moholo (also known now as Manti Mekoa) and Siyabulela Shai, yet it was the Clever Boys who netted again as early as the 49th minute when Bright turned from scorer to provider, teeing up Sibusiso Vilakazi to curl a shot into the back of the net.

Bright made way for new signing Joaquim Lupeta - whose paperwork had only been finalised earlier in the day - with just under 20 minutes to play, while in the 75th minute United almost pulled a goal back when Anas’ low shot from a tight angle came back off the outside of the near post.

Lupeta almost became Wits’ second player to score on debut in the game, hitting the crossbar from a good chance in the 81st minute.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1272 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1469 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2240 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE