Sekhukhune United’s new signing Rivaldo Coetzee has opened up about his first appearance for Babina Noko following their hard-fought 1-0 victory over Magesi FC in the Betway Premiership on Saturday night.
The versatile defender made his debut for Sekhukhune in an intense Betway Premiership Limpopo Derby at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.
Sekhukhune United secured local bragging rights with a narrow 1-0 victory, courtesy of a dramatic second-half stoppage-time strike from Bright Ndlovu. Eric Tinkler’s side appeared destined for a sixth consecutive match without a win, until Ndlovu struck deep into injury time to deny rock-bottom Sekhukhune a hard-earned share of the spoils.
The result handed Eric Tinkler’s men all three points in a match that saw Coetzee return to competitive action for the first time since leaving Mamelodi Sundowns at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.
Coetzee, who spent eight successful seasons at Chloorkop after joining them from Ajax Cape Town [now Cape Town Spurs FC] in 2017, was introduced immediately after the half-time break, replacing veteran defender Daniel Cardoso.
RIVALDO COETZEE ON HIS DEBUT PERFORMANCE
Reflecting on his first 45 minutes in Sekhukhune colours, the former Bafana Bafana international was quick to praise his teammates for helping him adjust to the pace of the game.
“Well, I can only give credit to the boys because they have helped me so much to integrate into the team and manage these 45 minutes,” Coetzee said. “It was a very tough game, and it’s always difficult to come in as a substitute, you know, because the intensity of the game is already high. But luckily, it was half-time, and everyone had to catch their second breath in the second half.”
The 29-year-old acknowledged the difficulty of the encounter but emphasised the importance of starting his tenure with a victory.
“It was a very tough game; however, it was a very good result for us because the win was important, and we will take it from here,” he added.
As things stand, Sekhukhune occupy fifth position on the Betway Premiership table, having collected 38 points from 24 matches.
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