Tokelo Rantie has continued his fine form for Turkish side Gençlerbirliği with a brace of goals at the weekend as his side booked their place in the quarterfinals of the country’s FA Cup.
Rantie made a slow start to his spell in Turkey after an August move from English Premier League side Bournemouth‚ but now has four goals in his last four games‚ and is starting to become more influential for the team.
Their 5-0 victory over lower league Amed SK secured the team their Last 8 place and it now looks likely that they will top their group as they lead giants Fenerbahce by five points with two games left to play.
Rantie was introduced into the game after 35 minutes and netted twice in the second half.
His first was a header‚ before he used his trademark pace to out-strip the home defence and finish past the goalkeeper.
Rantie was frozen out of the Bafana Bafana squad by former coach Shakes Mashaba after seemingly ignoring a call-up for the start of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers away in Burkina Faso in October.
He had been the preferred forward for the side before that‚ with his electric pace offering something different to other more lumbering options available.
With a change of guard in the coaching ranks and a return to form for the player‚ he could make a return in 2017.
Meanwhile‚ Haashim Domingo has continued his fine form in the Portuguese second division where he plays for Vitoria Guimaraes’ B side.
He netted his third of the campaign in a 3-2 loss to Benfica B and has been generally praised for his contribution this season.
Domingo has long been thought of as a special talent‚ but has battled to find willing employers in Europe due to his duminutive size.
But having starred for Vitoria’s reserves this campaign‚ it is a big step forward for him in terms of proving his ability at a club that also has compatriots Bongani Zungu and Thibang Phete.
Zungu was an unused substitute for the senior side as they lost 2-0 to Benfica in a Super League match at the weekend.
Lebo Mothiba made his debut for French Ligue 1 side Lille when he played the final few seconds of their 4-1 French Cup victory over Excelsior.
His next challenge will be to break into the squad for league matches.
Former Orlando Pirates midfielder Lehlogonolo Masalesa continued his bright start for Greek top-flight side Larissa when he appeared in their 3-2 defeat at Platanias.
It is rare for a player from the Premier Soccer League to go straight into the team at a new club in Europe‚ and given that Masalesa had been used so sparingly for Bucs in recent campaigns‚ it is perhaps even more of a surprise. - TMG Digital
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