Motsepe Foundation Championship — Round 28 | 1 May 2026
Casric Stars FC kept their upper-table push on track with a controlled 2-0 home win over Baroka FC on Friday, with Tlhalefang Kgabane producing a clinical second-half brace to settle a contest that had stayed level for over an hour.
Patience rewarded after the break
The first half offered no breakthrough. The teams went in level at 0-0 at the interval, with Baroka — fighting near the bottom of the table — putting up the kind of disciplined defensive shift that has kept them in matches all season. For Casric Stars, sitting in the upper half of the standings and the more fancied side on paper, it was a reminder that nothing was going to be handed to them.
The reward came just past the hour. Tlhalefang Kgabane broke the deadlock in the 67th minute to put Casric Stars in front, and from that point the contest tilted firmly toward the hosts.
Putting it to bed
There was no need for a nervy finish. Just 14 minutes after his opener, Kgabane was on the scoresheet again. His second goal in the 81st minute doubled the lead and effectively closed the match out, giving Casric Stars a comfortable cushion in the closing stages and denying Baroka any realistic route back.
It was a striker’s afternoon in the truest sense — two goals, both decisive, both inside a match-deciding 14-minute window.
Where this leaves Casric Stars
The win keeps Casric Stars in 5th place in the Motsepe Foundation Championship, firmly entrenched in the upper half of the standings. Baroka, by contrast, remain rooted in 16th — a reminder of the gulf between the two sides going into the fixture.
It was the third league meeting between the clubs this season. For Casric Stars, the kind of result expected of a top-five side at home to opposition fighting at the wrong end of the table — and a clean sheet to go with the three points is no small bonus.
Final word
A patient first half, a clinical second, and a brace from Kgabane that did the work the scoreline demanded: Casric Stars look every bit a side comfortable in the upper reaches of this division. With the closing rounds approaching, results like this one are how upper-mid-table sides quietly turn solid seasons into very solid ones.
Final Score: Casric Stars FC 2-0 Baroka FC
Goals: Kgabane 67′, 81′
Half-Time: 0-0
Date: 1 May 2026
Competition: Motsepe Foundation Championship — Round 28
