Gritty Durban City see off Polokwane City

Durban City kick-started their 2025-26 Betway Premiership campaign on a positive note following a hard-fought 1-0 win over Polokwane City at the Chatsworth Stadium on Sunday evening.

Despite Durban City’s proactive football throughout the match, Polokwane City proved to be a tough nut to crack. However, Bokang Mokwena’s first-half effort separated the two sides in KwaZulu-Natal.

Durban City were all over Polokwane City during the first 10 minutes of the match, while the likes of Athini Jodwana Saziso Magawana made their presence felt in the final third. The KwaZulu-Natal side saw up to 75 percent of the ball possession count in the first quarter as Rise and Shine battled to make it out of their own half.

The home side’s pressure paid off in the 19th minute and took the lead through Bokang Mokwena, who popped up in the right place to guide home a powerful header from a corner situation.

Durban City continued to dominate on the ball leading up to the halftime whistle, while Banele Mnguni attempted to get Polokwane City on the scoresheet with a shot from range in the 33rd minute.

With Rise and Shine sitting on the edge of their area, Durban City came close to doubling their advantage shortly before the break, as seen with attempts by Mokwena and Magawana. Nonetheless, the referee called time on the first half with Durban City a goal to the good.

The Citizens looked bright at the restart with Kyle Jurgens recording a shot at goal in the 51st minute which was subsequently saved by the opposition goalkeeper.

It was much of the same for Durban City leading up to the hour mark as they continued to probe on the ball while Polokwane City sat in anticipation of a counter opportunity.

The game evened out somewhat as the 75th minute approached, as Polokwane City began seeing more of the ball going forward. However, Rise and Shine did little to trouble the Durban City backline.

Polokwane’s evening went from bad to worse in the 88th minute after Puleng Tlolane was shown a red card late on for a professional foul. However, Durban City did enough to see out the game unscathed with a win on home soil.

Durban City: (1) 1 (Mokwena 19’)

Polokwane City: 0

DURBAN CITY: Keet, Mashego, Mkhize, Gcaba, Jalai, Maseko (Mahlangu 66’), Jurgens, Jodwana, Mokwena (De Kock 83’), Domingo (Poggenpoel 65’), Magawana (Nodada 84’)

POLOKWANE CITY: Bwire, Matuludi, Nikani, Nkaki, Motsa, Maphangule, Kambala, Sebone (Daniels 57’), Mnguni (Marema 46’), Mashini (Dlamini 57’), Tshikweta (Sibusiso 72’)