Stellenbosch FC reached the final of the MTN8 for the first time after they knocked out the mighty Mamelodi Sundowns in the semi-finals on Sunday.
Stellies won the second-leg semi-final 1-0 at their temporary home, the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, after Bradley Mojela scored the only goal of the match early in the second half. They were 2-0 winners overall after Fawaaz Basadien scored from the penalty spot in the first leg in Pretoria on Wednesday.
Stellenbosch have now booked a date with Orlando Pirates, who beat Cape Town City 3-1 on aggregate after winning their second-leg match 2-0 at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Andre de Jong, who won the man-of-the-match award, picked out Mojela with a lovely pass, before the Stellies’ No 10 doubled their aggregate advantage.
Sundowns had their chances in the match, but were again wasteful in front of goal. It also seemed like lady luck deserted them on the day after hitting the woodwork twice in Durban.
𝐒![CDATA[]]>𝐮![CDATA[]]>𝐧![CDATA[]]>𝐝![CDATA[]]>𝐨![CDATA[]]>𝐰![CDATA[]]>𝐧![CDATA[]]>𝐬 𝐡![CDATA[]]>𝐚![CDATA[]]>𝐯![CDATA[]]>𝐞 𝐢![CDATA[]]>𝐭 𝐚![CDATA[]]>𝐥![CDATA[]]>𝐥 𝐭![CDATA[]]>𝐨 𝐝![CDATA[]]>𝐨 𝐧![CDATA[]]>𝐨![CDATA[]]>𝐰 🤯
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) September 1, 2024
Lehlogonolo Mojela scores for Stellenbosch to double their advantage 👏
📺 Stream #MTN8 on DStv: https://t.co/B0jLrQW5cc pic.twitter.com/E8mFHBUSKA
But Stellies need to be celebrated. They have been one of the most consistent teams in the South African top-flight over the last couple of years, and now they have a chance to win some silverware against Pirates.
For coach Steve Barker, it was also a sweet victory after his Sundowns counterpart Manqoba Mngqithi baited Stellenbosch FC by basically saying they must temper their expectations after finishing in the top three and making a few cup semi-finals last season.
Stellies also lost their main striker Iqraam Rayners to the big-spending Sundowns, but still came out on top in the semi-finals.
@JohnGoliath82