Author: sipongco

u17 Final

Remember Elite Sports Academy (RESA) were crowned the Discovery Walter Sisulu Soccer Challenge u17 champions for a fourth time after defeating River Park FC 2-1 at the Nike Football Training Centre in Soweto on Saturday. They previously won the competition in 2011, 2013 and 2017.

Coach Lefa Moselane of RESA was a happy man afterwards, commenting: “It’s a special moment for us to have won this competition for the fourth time.”

It was, however, River Park FC who took the lead, thanks to a goal from Manyike Rhulani, who was prolific and influential for his side throughout the competition.

RESA fought back with swift ball movement, which forced River Park into their own half, but they struggled to pry open the stubborn River Park defence.

Coach Moselane said he needed to come up with different techniques in an attempt to find an equaliser. In the second half, those adjustments and RESA’s hard efforts paid off when Thando Singo levelled. That strike turned the contest on its head.

A second goal, from a sensational shot by Thato Mokgathlanye, put RESA in front and eventually proved to be the match winner.

Ladies Final: Mito Stars FC vs Diepkloof Ladies FC 

In the group stage, Mito Stars had beaten Diepkloof Ladies 2-0, and they repeated that scoreline in the final to be crowned the women’s champions of the 20th Discovery Walter Sisulu Soccer Challenge.

In an evenly contested game, goals from Noxolo Cesane and Gugu Mabitsela sealed the title for Stars.

Men’s tournament: Dube Continental vs Soweto Super United 

Supporters flocked to the Nike Football Training Centre in Soweto and filled the stands just moments before the men’s final kicked off.

It was a Gauteng ABC Motsepe League classic between Dube Continental and Soweto Super United (SSU), led by former professional footballer and Orlando Pirates’ captain Benson Mhlongo.

SSU were the reigning champions and intent on retaining their title, while Dube Continental had their sights set on an upset. They made their case in the opening 45 minutes by going 2-0 up on SSU.

Dube Continental then held onto that advantage until the end to take home the winner’s purse of R100 000.

u17 Semi-finals 

Superb sub, Bohloko Neo, struck twice for his team, Remember Elite Sports Academy (RESA), to book a place for the side from Vereeniging in the final of the Discovery Walter Sisulu Soccer Challenge, after a 2-1 semifinals’ win over Musa United FC at the Nike Football Training Centre in Soweto on Friday.

RESA’s dominance was on full display during their last 16 tie when they stuck seven past Mokgalakwena Sports and Skills Training (MSST) in a one-sided 7-1 victory, with a take-no-prisoners performance that was both determined and ruthless.

Goals from the likes of Sedili Katleho, Kamohelo Marebetse, Thando Singo and Thato Mokgathlanyane saw RESA into the quarterfinals where they then accounted for Crystal All Stars FC.

Their opponents in the title-decider will be River Park FC, who defeated The Citizens FC 2-1. Manyike Rhulani was the star of the show for River Park, matching Bohloko Neo, with a brace of his own to send his side into the final.

Ladies Semi-finals 

In the ladies’ semifinals, Mito Stars played like a well-oiled machine to defeat Joburg United 3-2. Despite Joburg United taking an early lead through Lekoni Bontle, it was Stars who controlled proceedings, with Noxolo Cesane, 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations with Banyana Banyana, playing a starring role.

After creating numerous chances, Mito Stars finally equalised through Kutlwano Maphane. They continued their domination and were rewarded with a goal and the lead by Mugware Munashe, who troubled the Joburg United defenders throughout the contest.

Dlamini Mpho then put Mito Stars two goals in the clear before Maswanganyi Amukenlani netted Joburg United’s second. They couldn’t find an equaliser, however.

The final will be a clash between Mito Stars and Diepkloof Ladies FC, two teams who know each other very well. When they met earlier, in the last game of the group stage, it was Mito Stars who emerged victorious by a 2-0 margin.

In their semi-final, Diepkloof Ladies defeated Molapo Ladies 2-0 to book their place in the showdown for the silverware.

Their passage to the title game looked a little unlikely in an opening half which Molapo dominated.

However, a number of astute substitutions paid dividends for Diepkloof Ladies. Qhaqeka Lumka opened their account and Boitumelo Mabojane then scored a cracker to send her side into the final where they will be out to avenge their earlier setback against Mito Stars.

South Africa’s u15 national boys’ football team completed the 3 Nations TDS Tournament on a high on Sunday with a 3-1 victory over the hosts in Rabat, Morocco. The event was a first experience of international competition for coach Vela Khumalo‘s squad.

The victory was a positive response from the squad, which had gone down 2-4 to Cote d’Ivoire in their first outing on 12 December.

“This has been a great experience for the players and the newly formed technical team,” Head Coach Vela Khumalo told the South African Football Association (SAFA) afterwards.

“We are happy to have accomplished our goal this week, which was to get the players to understand our methodology as a nation.”

It was also a useful exercise for the entire coaching staff, Khumalo said, explaining that the event showed the staff what is working and where work needs to be done.

“We wanted to establish our playing forms, control matches, and impose a possession-based approach characteristic of our South African football DNA,” Khumalo concluded.

SAFA Technical Director Walter Steenbok thanked Morocco and Cote d’Ivoire for the opportunity they had created for the South African squad. He also lauded the FIFA Talent Development Scheme.

“We are grateful to have been part of this journey in 2023 with FIFA,” Steenbok said. “Our journey with the Talent Development Scheme began early this year, where we built a new u15 team through this funding.”

Twenty-one players made the trip to North Africa from a pool of identified players that numbers almost 50.

The goal is to develop an u17 team to compete against the best in the world at the 2025 FIFA u17 World Cup. The host nation has not yet been announced.

Africa has produced a number of FIFA u17 World Cup winners, including Nigeria (1985), Ghana (1991), Nigeria (1993), Ghana (1995), Nigeria (2007), Nigeria (2013), and Nigeria (2015) while African runners-up have included Nigeria (1987), Ghana (1993), Ghana (1997), Nigeria (2001), Nigeria (2009), and Mali (2015).

Nigeria is, in fact, the most successful team in the history of the FIFA u17 World Cup, with five titles and three runners-up finishes. Brazil is in second, with four titles and two runners-up, while Ghana, the two-time champions, are in third place, and also twice finished as runners-up.

With a third place in 1987, Cote d’Ivoire has the best finish of the three nations who participated in the tournament in Morocco.

Interestingly, Africa is also the most successful continental zone in the history of the FIFA u17 World Cup, with the 1993 and 2015 finals being all-African affairs.

With a win in the Nkanhlamakwa Festive Games final in Sebokeng on Sunday, Diepkloof Ladies FC captured their third title of a wildly successful season. In a Soweto derby, they played to a goalless draw against Mito Ladies FC before taking the honours after a 4-2 penalty shootout win.

In October, Diepkloof Ladies became the inaugural winners of the Linda Mntambo Foundation Soccer Tournament, which was played in the township of Mzimhlophe, located in Orlando, Soweto.

Then, in November, they lifted the Clinix Stix Morewa Soccer Challenge title, defeating the University of Johannesburg in the final.

After his side’s latest title-clinching success, club founder Peter Mafa said his team still has more to play for as they set their sights on a fourth title at the forthcoming 20th Walter Sisulu Discovery Soccer Tournament.

Mafa, who began by coaching young girls at Ipolokeng Primary, said he could not be prouder of his team’s achievements.

He said he saw that ladies’ football has potential and a bright future in South Africa, which led him to founding Diepkloof Ladies FC in 2011. Since then, the club has enjoyed a tremendous run of success. There is nothing that gives him more joy than investing his time to help the young ladies stay off of the streets and do what they love, which is to play football, Mafa said.

“Working with young kids has always been in my heart and that’s one of the reasons that pushed me to be part of women’s soccer”, he explained.

“Working together, we ensure by all means that we bring the community together. Having that kind of support from the parents and the whole community plays a significant role in the growth and development of our young girls.”

Mafa said that success does not happen overnight. With his team, everything starts at training sessions where they work on their weaknesses to prepare themselves to compete each and every day.

Edendale Technical High and the Ubuntu Football Academy produced title-winning performances at the CAF African Schools Football, Cosafa qualifiers on Saturday in Harare to record an historic double for the South African sides, who were crowned the regional champions for a second year in a row.

The reward for the winners is a place at the CAF African Schools Football Championship next year where they will face off against the continent’s top teams.

Coach Ntombifuthi Khumalo’s girls’ team, Edendale Technical, defended their title in style after defeating Botswana 3-1 in the title-decider. A brace from Khwezi Khoza, the event’s top goal scorer, with 11 to her name, and a strike from Rethabile Molefe, sealed the victory for a team which was clearly the most dominant and consistent outfit on display.

Prior to the Cosafa qualifiers, Khumalo had revealed that she was not entirely satisfied with her charges’ performances at the 2022 event. Although they won, she said, they were not at their best. This time around, there will surely be more than enough reasons for the coach to feel satisfied with her squad’s level of play.

Edendale’s run to the final was spectacular, as they overwhelmed one opponent after another. In four matches, they netted 28 times without conceding. That record was testament to the team’s well-balanced and ruthlessly effective performances.

When Edendale conceded a goal to Botswana in the final, it was the only time that their defences were breached in five games.

“I am so happy,” coach Khumalo told safa.net after her team had defended their title. “It is mission accomplished, and we have won again.

“Thank you to all the people that have supported these young girls – the parents, the coaches, the South Africans who are behind us, and SAFA. I am asking all of you to continue to do more for them because they are the future of our country. We love you South Africa. Thank you.”

South Africa’s boys’ team, Cape Town’s Ubuntu Football Academy, had a tough challenge in front of them as they tried to follow in the footsteps of Clapham High, who won the title in 2022.

It was tough sledding for Ubuntu in the final, and at half-time Malawi enjoyed a one-goal lead, thanks to a superb volley from Okestar Kanyenda. In the second half, however, South Africa manufactured an equaliser through Rhys Ferguson, which sent the contest to a penalty shootout.

The tension should have been turned up to the max. Strangely, though, it was a slightly anti-climactic cruise to the title for South Africa from there. They scored from all of their kicks, while Malawi failed to score any of their penalties: Amos Nyirenda struck the crossbar, while Tinga Nkhoma and James Msongole had their efforts saved by goalkeeper Sabrie Losper.

SAFA President Dr Danny Jordaan congratulated the South African representatives after their silverware-clinching performances on Saturday. “We are proud of the achievements of our boys and girls who completed the double in Zimbabwe,” he said.

“Schools have always been the bedrock of football development, and our two teams have shown we are moving in the right direction. This is a great Christmas present from our teams. Well done!”

There were further reasons for the South African sides to celebrate after Simama Inganathi was named the Player of the Tournament in the boys’ competition, while goalkeeper Sabrie Losper took home the Golden Glove. South Africa’s Rhys Ferguson and Zimbabwe’s El Shaddai Sadomba  shared the Golden Boot, with both netting four times. The tournament hosts, Zimbabwe, were the winners of the Fair Play award.

In the girls’ competition, South Africa’s Katleho Malebana was named the Player of the Tournament, Angel Zibula  received the Golden Glove, and the prolific Khoza was the Golden Boot winner. Namibia received the Fair Play prize.

There was significant prize money in it for the top teams. The winning associations in the two categories walked away with $100 000, with the runners-up bagging $75 000, and the third-place finishers $50 000.

The awards were decided on by the Technical Study Group at the tournament, which used data mined from the players’ performances in each match to make their determinations.

RESULTS

Girls’ Third-Place Play-Off

Mozambique 4 (Isabel Cuinhane 4) Namibia 0

Final
South Africa 3 (Khwezi Khoza 2, Rethabile Molefe) Botswana 1 (Amogelang
Sebotho)

Boys’ Third-Place Play-Off
Zimbabwe 1 (El Shaddai Sadomba) Namibia 0

Final
Malawi 1 (Okestar Kanyenda) South Africa 1 (Rhys Ferguson)
SA won 3-0 on penalties

TOURNAMENT STATISTICS

Boys

Matches Played: 22
Goals scored: 62
Biggest victory: South Africa 7 Angola 0 (Group B, December 14)
Most goals in a game: 7 – South Africa 7 Angola 0 (Group B, December 14)

Girls
Matches Played: 22
Goals scored: 83
Biggest victory: South Africa 14 Angola 0 (Group B, December 14)
Most goals in a game: 14 – South Africa 14 Angola 0 (Group B, December 14)

The CAF African Schools Football Champs, Cosafa qualifiers, take place at the Gateway School in Zimbabwe from 14-16 December, with South Africa’s Edendale Technical High School as the defending girls’ champions.

The stage has been set and the draw has been finalised for the highly anticipated competition, with Zimbabwe, the host nation, in Group A alongside Malawi, Botswana, Eswatini and Mozambique.

South Africa has been named as the seeded team for Group B, following the country’s victory in both the boys’ and girls’ competitions at the 2022 zonal event in Lilongwe, Malawi. Tough competition awaits them from Angola, Zambia, Namibia and Madagascar for places in the knockout rounds.

Donning the South African colours are Edendale Technical High School and the Ubuntu Football Academy, which takes over in the boys’ draw from Clapham High School, who did duty in 2022. A big challenge awaits both South African teams as they bid to keep the titles in the country’s possession.

What is on the line for the defending girls’ champions, Edendale Technical, is a place in the final round of the CAF African Schools Football Champs.

Under the guidance of their experienced coach, Ntombifuthi Khumalo, who holds a CAF C-Licence, Edendale is determined to be the pride of the “Rainbow Nation” once again. Popularly known as “Coach Muchichwa“, Khumalo has a couple of players who featured in 2022 returning, namely captain Asanda Ziqubu and Esihle Zuma.

She thanked coaches and local schools who have supported her and been pushing her team to do its best against the leading development talent from the southern region of Africa.

Coach Khumalo said supporters should expect to see that she has grown along with her players. “Even though we won last during the Cosafa qualifiers, I was not happy with the performance, knowing how well these girls can play. However, we have gone back to the growing board and since then we have shown hunger and determination, and that we deserve to play at this level,” she said.

Preparing for a tournament of this calibre was a challenge, Khumalo said, because of a lack of competitive games for girls at the junior level. She has worked at the development level in various schools since 2011, but she said there remains a lack of understanding in the country that young girls could have a future playing football.

“With clubs such as Mamelodi Sundowns winning their second CAF women’s title and Banyana Banyana’s success at the 2023 World Cup and at continental level, this should be a perfect time to make a greater investment in women’s football at all levels, so that we ensure the continuity and longevity of the game”, she said.

Khumalo said coaching at the development level is challenging. However, she thanked the Motsepe Foundation and its partners for their support, which has resulted in more girls than ever before playing football from a young age, with their interest in the game at a peak.

Edendale has already produced a number of players for the local South African National League, Khumalo added. She expressed her confidence in the current squad, saying that many of them are destined to play the game at a higher level because of their talent, dedication and love of the game.

“We’ve got two former school captains in Lonathemba (Mhlongo) and Snegugu (Zondi), both playing for the University of the Western Cape,” Mr Sihle Basi, Edendale Sports Chairperson wrote in an article. “There’s also Nosipho (Mahlawe) playing for Royal AM Ladies, and Mhlongo is now a regular member of the Banyana (Banyana) squad.

“We’ve also got Olwethu (Sosibo), Nobahle (Mdelwa), Asanda (Mchunu) and Fanele (Madonsela), all of whom were part of the under-20 national team. Mhlongo has a scholarship in Spain, through LaLiga’s programme in collaboration with the COSAFA/SAFA and is spending a year in Madrid.

St Stithians College walked as victors of the Nedbank Grey Soccer Challenge final, defeating HTS Louis Botha.

It was a very competitive final between one of the two powerhouses in South African Schools’ football. Coming into the tournament, HTS Louis Botha have enjoyed a good run, having reached several finals and having managed to defend their title in Kimberly during the Absa Wildeklawer Soccer Tournament.

It was a tactical display of football between the two teams, as both had failed to score a goal during the final. The winners had to be decided in the penalty shootout.

St Stithians’ goalkeeper produced an outstanding performance and stole the show during the penalty shootout, saving his team to ensure they walked away and took the cup to Gauteng province. HTS Louis Botha missed two crucial penalties, which gave an advantage to their opposition. Louis Botha went on to lose by 4-2 on penalties.

Durban High School’s first team also walked away with a trophy, winning the Plate final on penalties 5-3, defeating Parktown High School. Hopewell Ntshangase of Durban High School walked away with the honours as the leading goal scorer of the tournament.

For four days, Grey College hosted a successful tournament that saw top schools across the country, from places such as KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Eastern Cape and other areas, all join forces in the Nedbank Grey College Soccer Tournament. Matches started as early as 08 am on a Saturday on the 30th of September.

From the first game, it was quite clear that all the teams had to compete as they brought the heat into the competition. This was the scene of tough competition displayed on the pitch throughout the tournament.

 

Joseph Mkhonza, the renowned coach of Spring Home Sweepers, expressed his admiration for the Gauteng women’s soccer tournament despite losing out on the gold match.

Mkhonza’s team was knocked in the semi-finals by the defending champions, Diepkloof Ladies FC, and eventually lost for the 3rd place on penalties by 10-9 to Electrical Ladies who took the bronze and settled for the 3rd position after they found themselves in the same position last year.

Mkhonza, with his extensive experience in women’s football his team for the fighting spirit, and praised the tournament organizers for bringing teams from different league streams, including the Gauteng Development League: Girls League.

He also found it inspiring to see a team from Zimbabwe, Queen Lozikey participating in the tournament. Mkhonza’s positive outlook on the tournament reflects his passion for the sport and his commitment to developing young players, something that he has been doing for decades.

Joseph Mkhonza emphasized the importance the Gauteng women’s soccer tournament as a unique platform solely for women’s football. He expressed concern over common trend of giving all attention to men’s football in South Africa and called other tournament organizers to learn from this example.

Mkhonza urged for fairness towards women in the upcoming December tournaments. H also highlighted the exceptional talent of young girls as 13 years old in the tournament and stressed for nurturing this talent.

Mkhonza also called for the presence of top officials, national team coaches from all age groups to come and witness the abundance of talent in the country and also support these young girls.

Joseph Mkhonza emphasized the importance of corporate support for tournament and development at the school level. He highlighted that the recent triumph of the Springboks is a testament made at an earlier age, resulting in their successful defense of the World Cup championship in France by defeating their arch-rivals, the All Blacks.

Mkhonza further advocated for the discovery and protection of talent in various sports, not just football, at the school level. He believes that nurturing talent in all aspects of sports would contribute to creating a winning nation.

 

South Africa’s longest running youth development league’s 2023 competitions came to an end at Marks Park in Emmarentia, Johannesburg, on Sunday, with Kaizer Chiefs and Rosina Sedibane Modiba Sports School claiming silverware.

Chiefs asserted their supremacy by collecting three of the four trophies on offer in the Gauteng Development League (GDL) Youth Cup. With Kaizer Motaung junior in attendance, the club’s former player and current sporting director, the Kaizer Chiefs u13, u17, and u19 sides all won to make it a banner day for the organisation.

U19 Final Kaizer Chiefs vs NWU Vaal

Chiefs proved too much for a plucky NWU Vaal outfit in the u19 final as they thumped the newly promoted side, which had been on a giant-killing run, 4-1, to lift the title.

NWU Vaal had sent league runners-up Mamelodi Sundowns packing in the semi-finals, but in the final, Chiefs, who finished third in the league, charged to a one-sided victory.

The Amakhosi dominated the game and took the lead through their freekick specialist, Duane Bennet, who slotted a spectacular goal from a set piece to put his side on the front foot. He was subsequently joined on the scoresheet by Phakamani Jwara, Manqoba Ozoemena, and Mfundo Vilakazi.

U15 Final: Tshwane Derby

Perhaps the biggest story of the day came in the only final that did not involve Kaizer Chiefs, with Rosina Sedibane Modiba and Mamelodi Sundowns meeting in an all-Pretoria clash for the u15 title. It finished in a penalty shootout, with Rosina triumphing over the Brazilians.

It was a trying weekend for Sundowns. Their u13s also lost against the Amakhosi in the gold medal match, going down 2-3, while their u19 side was ousted in the semi-finals by NWU Vaal on Saturday.

The u15 finalists produced an entertaining title-decider, but the game started slowly as both teams worked to get into the flow of the game. Rosina took an early lead when Sundowns stopped playing, mistakenly thinking they had heard a whistle. It hadn’t been blown and Rosina took advantage of ‘Downs’ hesitation by slotting the ball into the back of the net. The decision to award the goal infuriated the Sundowns’ bench and fans, but it stood, leaving the team in yellow and blue to chase the game.

The Brazilians pursued an equaliser by employing their trademark “Shoeshine and piano” attack and their industry was eventually rewarded through Mosa, which led to the teams heading into the half-time break level at 1-1.

In the second half, Rosina again stuck their noses in front, but Sundowns, once more, pulled level. After regulation time ended at 2-2, the game was decided by a penalty shoot-out.

Despite Sundowns’ goalkeeper making the first stop, Rosina’s Leremo Otanganedzwa stole the show by saving three spot kicks. Thanks to his heroic effort, they clinched the penalty shootout victory by a 3-1 margin and were crowned the u15 champions of the GDL Youth Cup for a first time.

 

The NWU Vaal Soccer Academy has captured the spotlight after a giant-killing run, which has powered the team into the final of the Gauteng Development League Youth Cup following a 2-1 upset of Mamelodi Sundowns in the semi-finals at Marks Park on Saturday.

NWU Vaal has bucked the typical expectations of recently promoted teams, with a determined collection of energetic and dynamic players who display an impressive unity and collective strength.

Merely a month after ascending from the GDPL to the GDL, NWU Vaal, “the so-called underdogs”, have already made their mark and achieved a great milestone by putting themselves in line for some GDL silverware.

Their youthful squad is led by a young, immensely passionate and committed coach, who isn’t afraid to employ inventive concepts as he seeks to drive his charges to greater heights.

After seeing his team take down Mamelodi Sundowns, coach Abiel Ganu Motaung described the final four clash as intense, adding that Sundowns had showed why they are one of the best teams in the country.

“We were fighting during the half-time break,” he admitted. “The players were questioning our decisions simply because they want nothing but to win, and that is the mentality we have adopted as a team. But, at the end, we managed to find a common ground to get the results.

“Despite Sundowns putting an intense amount of pressure on us, we had to show why we are here and why deserve to play in the final.”

Reaching the title-decider was no walk in the park for NWU Vaal, who had to overcome a murderer’s row of tough opponents – the School of Excellence, SuperSport United and Mamelodi Sundowns – to make it into Sunday’s final.

Coach Motaung said the School of Excellence was probably the most difficult side they had come up against, mentally and physically, because the School of Excellence had taken the game to NWU Vaal and made it difficult for them to play their usual ball.

“I’m happy. I’m over the moon that we have reached the final and that we will also be playing in the GDL. In the Vaal, the boys are struggling to get exposure, as talented as they are. This is also a good opportunity for us young coaches in the Vaal Triangle – Vereeniging, Vanderbijlpark and Sasolburg.

“We are underdogs. We don’t have a professional team at Vaal. Playing in such a league will give us an opportunity to expose the young boys to fully functional structures, so that professional teams can also see the kind of talent we have in the region,” Motaung said.

After the match, a devastated Mamelodi Sundowns’ coach and club legend, Surprise Moriri, said: “We dominated the game, but that’s not enough. We created, and we should have buried those chances, at least three or four of them, but that’s football for you.

“If you don’t take your chances, it becomes difficult. It’s a learning curve for the boys… If you don’t take your chances, the chances of you winning the game become very slim.”

Talking points from Semi-finals of the GDL Youth Cup 

Kaizer Chiefs u19s defeated TS Galaxy 5-1 on penalties after regulation time finished at 1-1. 

Kaizer Chiefs’ coach David Mathebula commented after his team’s penalty shootout victory: “We lost two matches against them this season. Today, in the first half we played well. Second half, the energy level dropped. But I think the boys pushed and we brought some of the u17s boys in to bring up the energy.

Unfortunately, we conceded from a corner kick, which is something we work on defending. It was a tough game for both teams with the heat, but in the end, we managed to defeat them, and we are into the final.

Mathebula said his team would focus on recovery with the big game set to follow within 24 hours.

Mamelodi Sundowns u15 demolish Jomo Cosmos 6-0 

The u15 Brazilians cruised into the final in outstanding fashion by handing Ezenkosi a 6-0 thumping. At half-time, Sundowns already had one foot in Sunday’s game, up by four goals to nil.

Nkululeko Mabaso led the way with a hattrick, while Mpho Molepo, Musa Maloisane and Monanyane Kgaogelo also found the back of the net.

School of Excellence u17 seeks revenge against Kaizer Chiefs 

After his team had beaten Tuks 2-1 on Saturday, coach Mojalefa Mathebula said the School of Excellence boys will be out to avenge their loss in the semi-finals of the Easter Cup against Kaizer Chiefs, their opponents in Sunday’s final.

He commended the resilience and strong mentality of his young players for showing good character in a hard-fought win over AmaTuks.

Ntokozo Skhosana, the School of Excellence’s talented left-back, shared his thoughts on the game: “As a team, we knew Tuks are good with long balls. We had to work on our defence.

“Through our game plan, we had to use the strength of our wing-play, and they struggled, which gave us a great deal of advantage when attacking.”

Joburg City u17 fought a good fight against Kaizer Chiefs 

Despite losing out 2-3 to Kaizer Chiefs, Joburg City impressed. Most would surely have written off their chances before their semi-final showdown.

Joburg City rose to the occasion, however, and threw the kitchen sink at the Amakhosi. Twice, Chiefs had to come from behind before they finally found a match-winning third goal.

Despite bowing out in the semi-finals, Joburg City will surely be proud of their effort, which extended Chiefs to the limit just one week after the gold and black had ousted GDL champions, Highlands Park, in the quarterfinals.

Semifinal Results 

u13

Mamelodi Sundowns 4-0 Jomo Cosmos
Kaizer Chiefs 4-1 Joburg City

u15

Mamelodi Sundowns 6-0 Jomo Cosmos
Rosina Sedibane 3-1 TS Galaxy

u17

School of Excellence 2-1 Tuks
Kaizer Chiefs 3-2 Joburg City

u19

NWU Vaal 2-1 Mamelodi Sundowns
Kaizer Chiefs 1 (5) – 1 (1) TS Galaxy

Final Fixtures: Sunday, 03 December 

u13

Kaizer Chiefs vs Mamelodi Sundowns

u15

Mamelodi Sundowns vs Rosina Sedibane

u17

School of Excellence vs Kaizer Chiefs

u19 

NWU Vaal Soccer Academy vs Kaizer Chiefs