In a historic clash at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday afternoon (16 December) Stellenbosch FC etched its name in the annals of South African football by claiming the inaugural Carling Knockout Cup title.
Overcoming the likes of Chippa United, Polokwane City and Richards Bay en route to reaching their first-ever cup final, the fairytale continued for Stellies as they won a nail-biting (1-1) 5-4 penalty shootout victory over TS Galaxy.
Steve Barker’s side made a positive start to the encounter and came close to opening the scoring in the 19th minute when man-of-the-match Iqraam Rayners found himself through on goal after a sleek passage of passing football. But the striker was denied by a smart save from opposition goalkeeper Facre Ntwari.
The Maroons pushed on in search of the opening goal, but were pegged back at the other end on the stroke of half-time, when Lehlohonolo Mojela fired TS Galaxy ahead with a powerful right-footed drive from the edge of the box (HT: 0-1).
Left to reflect on their missed chances during the break, Stellies emerged for the second stanza with renewed vigour and levelled matters through the boot of Ivorian defender Ismaël Touré, who made no mistake with an unstoppable effort of his own (FT: 1-1).
His goal forced the match into an additional 30 minutes of extra-time, but the two sides could not be separated, meaning a penalty shootout would determine the destination of the prestigious trophy this season.
A tense affair ensued from the spot and, when Mojela missed his spot-kick, Darrel Matsheke was the man to step up for the chance to make history for The Maroons. The midfielder was composed and made no mistake, sending the crowd into raptures with the decisive penalty.
After the match Barker was quick to pay credit to the Stellenbosch FC management, technical team and players for the historic achievement, while also dedicating the achievement to his family, and the late Clive Barker and player Oshwin Andries, who died in February.
“Most of all, I want to thank the players. They deserve it,” the coach said.
“They put in shift after shift every week. We’ve been travelling a lot, playing a lot of games of late, so credit must go to them.”
