Wednesday night at the Solomon Mahlangu Stadium in KwaMhlanga was not the occasion TS Galaxy needed. Coming off the high of advancing to the Nedbank Cup final just days before — a penalty shootout victory over Milford in a match that also saw top scorer Seluleko Mahlambi stretchered off — the Rockets found themselves facing a Polokwane City side who had their own problems to resolve. Three games without a win had put a dent in Rise and Shine’s momentum, and they came to Mpumalanga hungry for the kind of result that resets a squad’s confidence. They got it, and then some. A 2-1 away win, controlled and largely professional despite the late Galaxy goal that gave the scoreline a slightly more flattering look for the home side. For TS Galaxy, it extended their winless Betway Premiership run to eight matches — a stretch that is fast becoming the defining issue of their season.
Both sides came into this fixture with clear motivations. Polokwane sat in seventh place on 32 points, trailing Sekhukhune United and Durban City by three points in the battle for a top-five finish and the continental qualification that comes with it. Three consecutive draws had nudged them backward at precisely the moment when they needed to be pushing forward. TS Galaxy, meanwhile, occupied twelfth position — three points adrift of the top eight, the zone they had been fighting to reach all season — and found themselves carrying the emotional weight of the cup run alongside the physical tiredness it had generated.
The first half belonged almost entirely to Polokwane. Phuti Mohafe’s side settled quickly into the Solomon Mahlangu surface and established a territorial dominance that the Rockets never managed to challenge seriously in the opening forty-five minutes. The key to their control was in midfield, where the combination of Juan Mutudza’s technical quality and the directness of Mokibelo Ramabu gave Galaxy’s central players too many problems to track simultaneously. Mutudza, in particular, was sharp and purposeful throughout the first half — always looking to receive, turn, and drive toward the Galaxy defensive line rather than accepting possession and playing sideways.
The opening goal arrived in the 17th minute and was a genuine piece of quality. Bonginkosi Dlamini collected a pass in the Polokwane attacking third and found Mutudza with space to operate on the edge of the penalty area. The forward took one touch to set his body and then curled a shot into the far corner that gave Ira Tapé no chance — the kind of finish that wins games and that a striker remembers long after the season is over. 1-0 Polokwane, a deserved lead built on a half of football that the visitors had controlled from the first whistle.
What made the first half even more uncomfortable for the home side was the absence of any meaningful response. Galaxy failed to put a single effort on target across the entire opening forty-five minutes. Polokwane goalkeeper Lindokuhle Mathebula, who had impressed with saves against Maduna and Letsoalo in subsequent visits to the area, was not tested once before halftime. The Rockets who had gone all the way to cup final qualification did not look remotely like a side capable of threatening a Polokwane backline that barely had to work.
For all live Betway Premiership scores, the South African football standings, and every match update as the season reaches its decisive stages, follow the action at fawanews.org.uk — your home for live football coverage.
The second half started and within three minutes, the match was effectively over. Mutudza surging forward again, finding the run of Ramabu, and the striker drove his finish from the centre of the box into the high centre of the goal with Tapé beaten before the shot had left Ramabu’s boot. Two goals, three minutes into the second half, with a tired and struggling home side now needing to find not one but two goals against opponents who had been thoroughly the better team across an hour of football.
Galaxy began to find something around the hour mark. Sphesihle Maduna — one of the more technically composed players in the Rockets squad when the spaces open up — tested Mathebula with a powerful long-range effort that forced a superb diving save. Then Bonginkosi Dlamini, who had contributed to the opening goal and who was dangerous on the counter throughout the second period, broke free in the 74th minute and carved out space inside the box, but Ira Tapé produced a fine save at the other end to keep Galaxy in the contest. Both goalkeepers, in the closing stages, were worth their place on the pitch.
The moment that gave Galaxy some hope came with eight minutes remaining. Defender Igor received the ball from close range after his initial header had been saved by Mathebula, and bundled it over the line for what was ultimately a consolation. The goal brought a degree of tension to the final stages — Polokwane had to manage their lead for eight minutes plus stoppage time against a home side now pushing forward with renewed urgency — but Rise and Shine held their shape and held the result. A couple of late Galaxy efforts were either saved or off target. The 2-1 scoreline survived to the final whistle.
For TS Galaxy, the tally of eight consecutive league matches without a win is a number that tells its own difficult story. The Nedbank Cup run — which has taken the Rockets all the way to a final they have genuinely earned — has generated the kind of positive headlines that distract from the league form but cannot change it. Twelve goals conceded in their last twelve Betway Premiership outings, a goal-scoring rate that has declined as the season has progressed, and a midfield that has struggled to provide the creative platform that the attack needs. The final rounds of the season will test whether the squad can produce on two fronts simultaneously or whether the cup has been the story that masks a genuinely troubled campaign.
For Polokwane City, returning to winning ways with a professional and controlled away performance is exactly what Mohafe’s side needed. Mutudza’s goal was the quality moment that deserved the win, Ramabu’s finish was the decisive blow that made it comfortable, and the defensive work in the final twenty minutes — holding out with two goals against a home side with nothing to lose — confirmed that the character within the squad is intact even after the three-game winless run. Seventh place on 32 points, three behind the continental qualification zone, with games still to play. Rise and Shine still have something to chase.
The Betway Premiership’s full standings, top scorer lists, and upcoming fixtures are available at the official PSL website at psl.co.za, which tracks every result and table position across the South African top flight in real time.
Final score: TS Galaxy 1-2 Polokwane City. Goals: Juan Mutudza 17′, Mokibelo Ramabu 48′ (Polokwane City); Igor Salatiel Silva 82′ (TS Galaxy). Solomon Mahlangu Stadium, KwaMhlanga. Referee: Luxolo Badi. Betway Premiership Matchday 23, 8 April 2026. Stats — Possession: TS Galaxy 57%, Polokwane 43%. Shots on goal: 5-4. Attempts: 13-12. Corners: 4-1. Yellow cards: 3 (Galaxy) 1 (Polokwane). Saves: 2-3. TS Galaxy 12th (25 pts). Polokwane City 7th (32 pts).
