FILE - Clinto Larsen will be back in the top flight after guiding Magesi to promotion to the DStv Premiership on Sunday FILE - Clinto Larsen will be back in the top flight after guiding Magesi to promotion to the DStv Premiership on Sunday. Photo: Motshwari Mofokeng/ANA
The Blue Nation is in big time football. The Crocodiles are going to swim in the big sea with the sharks.
Magesi FC earned promotion to the DStv Premiership in style on Sunday afternoon here in Polokwane, Clinton Larsen's team beating Milford FC 3-1 to win the Motsepe Foundation Championship with two games to spare.
And with the second-placed University of Pretoria being held 2-2 at Black Leopards, the result meant that Magesi's 55 points cannot be bettered.
The wild celebrations that ensued at the final whistle told the story of the delight brought about by promotion courtesy of victory earns via a Wonderboy Hlongwane brace plus a strike by Edmore Chirambadare.
The home side took the lead on 25 minutes via a headed goal by Makhubu following a good cross by Diamond Thopola.
Watched by the king of Moletjie, Kgoshi Moloto and the king mother, Magasi played like a team inspired as their supporters urged them on with drumbeat and song.
They made it 2-0 just five minutes after the break when a seemingly hopeful punt forward by goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze took a wicked bounce to elude two Milford defenders.
Chimbadare took advantage and with just one touch managed to get the ball past the advancing Siphamandla Hleza in the visitors' goal before allowing the ball to trickle into the net, sending the partisan home crowd that filled up the main stands into wild celebrations.
They scored a third goal on 55 minutes via Anathi Ngwadla who sprinted foe the ball like Usain Bolt and then rounded off Hleza to out the ball into the empty net only for the match officials to inexplicably disallow it.
An incensed Magesi coach Larsen remonstrated wildly with the fourth officials as his players also questioned the referee.
Milford took advantage of the hosts' lapse in concentration and pulled one back via Bulelani Sigomoshe who slotted home at the near post from inside the box.
But it was soon 3-1 as Makhubu completed his brace with a brilliant lob over Hleza from the edge of the box, leading the Peter Mokaba Stadium to reverberate under the drumbeat, singing and dancing of the home fans delighted by their team essentially booking promotion to the country's elite league.
Late in the match, as news trickle in that Black Leopards had made it 2-2 against the University of Pretoria, pandemonium broke out in the VIP area and the main stands as celebrations ensued.
And almost immediately the final whistle blasted to see wild celebrations taking place on the pitch as Magesi secured promotion.
IOL Sport
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