This year, the entertaining Johannesburg Varsity Football derby was played right in the heart of Soweto, as the University of Johannesburg (UJ) played hosts to Wits University on Thursday evening, 21 August 2025. While the Wits Men’s Team went into the clash with two previous good wins, the UJ Men’s Team sought to build on their recent 1-0 win over the University of Free State in addition to the home crowd boost.

A Tale of Two Halves

The match, held at a packed UJ Soweto Stadium, was decided early. Just 12 minutes in, UJ’s Tumelo Machete stepped up to a penalty spot with the weight of the home crowd on his shoulders. A Wits handball had given him the opportunity, and he seized it with a calm strike that sent the ball past goalkeeper Lwando Mvinjana. It was the only goal UJ would need to seal the deal for the night, in-progress to secure a top four semifinal spot.

What followed was a relentless battle. Both teams pressed hard, but their goalkeepers were up to the task. UJ’s Kyle Van Rensburg and Wits’ Mvinjana were kept busy with a flurry of shots, but the Orange Army’s (UJ) 1-0 scoreline held heading into halftime.

Then, the drama extended beyond the pitch. As the players headed for the break, two of the stadium’s floodlights went off, causing a second half start for more than 30 minutes.

A Defence Holds Strong

When the lights came back on, the intensity only grew. Wits made an immediate substitution in an attempt to spark an equalizer, but UJ’s defence, anchored by the stellar play of Sinenhlanhla Mkhonza, stood firm. Mkhonza, who would later be named the FNB Player of the Match for the third consecutive time, was a force in the midfield, cutting off Wits’ attacks and distributing the ball with precision. His efforts, combined with a series of crucial saves by goalkeeper Van Rensburg, thwarted every Wits advance.

Wits’ relentless pursuit to score proved fruitless. After 97 minutes of intense football, the home crowd burst into celebration as UJ secured a second 1-0 victory and three points to move up to second position on the Varsity Football 2025 log – equal on points but with a single goal difference from log leaders Tshwane University of Technology.

The last time the two teams met in the tournament was in 2022 in a 2-0 win for UJ at Wits Stadium.

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