{"id":77689,"date":"2025-07-19T09:00:32","date_gmt":"2025-07-19T07:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=77689"},"modified":"2025-07-19T09:00:32","modified_gmt":"2025-07-19T07:00:32","slug":"joburg-city-downs-ladies-star-at-engen-knockout-challenge-gauteng","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=77689","title":{"rendered":"Joburg City, Downs’ Ladies star at Engen Knockout Challenge Gauteng"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Lebogang Phiri during the 2025 Engen Knockout Challenge at Marks Park Sports Club, in Johannesburg on 18 July 2025. Photo: Phakamisa Lensman\/BackpagePix.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 2025 Engen Knockout Challenge Gauteng leg<\/strong> kicked off at Wits Marks Park Sports Ground on Friday, with top u18 boys’ and u20 girls’ teams plotting a path towards provincial glory and a place in the Engen Champ of Champs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In the boys’ u18 division, coach Thato Mosala<\/strong>‘s Joburg City<\/strong> enjoyed an impressive opening day, finishing it unbeaten after pulling off the biggest upset thus far, a 1-0 victory over coach David Mathebula<\/strong>‘s Kaizer Chiefs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

SuperSport United<\/strong>, under the guidance of coach Tumelo Ndaba<\/strong>, has endured a horrid month in the Gauteng Development League<\/strong>, but they put together a successful opening day, scoring 1-0 victories over Orlando Pirates<\/strong> and Florida Albion FC<\/strong> to top Group B.<\/p>\n

In the Ladies’ division, Diepkloof Ladies<\/strong> were handed a 1-3 defeat by Panorama Ladies<\/strong>, but they bounced back with a 10-0 thrashing of Thembalethu Ladies<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The defending champion, Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies<\/strong>, made a clean start to their title defence, beating Blue Birds Ladies<\/strong> 1-0 before handing the University of Pretoria<\/strong> a 4-1 defeat.<\/p>\n

Among those in attendance was French-based Bafana Bafana midfielder and Engen Knockout Challenge graduate Lebogang Phiri<\/strong>, who spent the day engaging with players, watching matches, and reflecting on the impact of the tournament.<\/p>\n

“This is not just another youth tournament, I don\u2019t think people always realise the gravity of it,” said Phiri.<\/p>\n

“Tournaments like the Engen Knockout Challenge are where you get the next top talents and future big-name players. It’s where players learn to handle pressure, build big-match temperament, and get exposed to the type of support and attention that prepares them for the next level.<\/p>\n

“If a young player approaches this platform with the right mindset, it can change their career.<\/p>\n

“The pressure is high, and the expectations are real, and because of that, players learn respect, discipline, and great sportsmanship. These are qualities you don’t always get from just training or league matches. This kind of environment shapes you in every way as a footballer.”<\/p>\n

As a former participant in the Engen Knockout Challenge before he turned professional, Phiri’s presence at the tournament reinforced the 2025 theme “It’s Your Moment, Future Diski Legends”, which encourages current players to seize the opportunity in front of them.<\/p>\n

With a strong turnout of supporters, tightly contested matches, and growing excitement on the ground, the opening day set the tone for a thrilling weekend ahead.<\/p>\n

The Gauteng leg continues through to Sunday, when the provincial champions will be crowned and earn themselves the honour of representing the province at the prestigious Engen Champ of Champs in October.<\/p>\n

RESULTS AND STANDINGS<\/strong><\/p>\n

BOYS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Group A Standings<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Joburg City
\n2. Kaizer Chiefs
\n3. TS Galaxy
\n4. Augusto Palacious Apprentice Academy<\/p>\n

TS Galaxy 0-2 Kaizer Chiefs
\nAugusto Palacious Apprentice Academy 0-0 Joburg City
\nTS Galaxy 1-0 Augusto Palacious Apprentice Academy
\nJoburg City 1-0 Kaizer Chiefs<\/p>\n

Group B Standings<\/strong>
\n1. SuperSport United
\n2. Panorama FC
\n3. Orlando Pirates
\n4. Florida Albion FC<\/p>\n

Orlando Pirates 0-1 SuperSport United
\nFlorida Albion FC 0-1 Panorama FC
\nSuperSport United 1-0 Florida Albion FC
\nPanorama FC 1-1 Orlando Pirates FC<\/p>\n

Group C Standings\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Mamelodi Sundowns
\n2. Randburg AFC
\n3. Kathorus Hyper Academy
\n4. SAFA\/Transnet School of Excellence<\/p>\n

SAFA\/Transnet School of Excellence 1-2 Kathorus Hyper Academy
\nRandburg AFC 0-1 Mamelodi Sundowns
\nSAFA\/Transnet School of Excellence 0-2 Randburg AFC
\nKathorus Hyper Academy 0-1 Mamelodi Sundowns<\/p>\n

Group D Standings\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Highlands Park
\n2. Wits University
\n3. Remember Elite Sport Academy
\n4. Tuks<\/p>\n

Tuks 0-0 Remember Elite Sport Academy
\nWits University 1-1 Highlands Park<\/p>\n

LADIES<\/strong><\/p>\n

Group A Standings<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. SAFA Academy
\n2. FC Raycon
\n3. Randburg AFC
\n4. Joburg United Eagles<\/p>\n

SAFA Academy 8-0 Joburg United Eagles
\nRandburg AFC 2-0 FC Raycon
\nSAFA Academy 5-0 Randburg AFC
\nJoburg United Eagles 0-3 FC Raycon<\/p>\n

Group B Standings\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. JVW
\n2. Wits University
\n3. Mito Stars Ladies
\n4. Kempton Park Ladies<\/p>\n

Mito Stars Ladies 1-2 Wits University
\nKempton Park Ladies 0-3 JVW
\nMito Stars Ladies 1-1 Kempton Park Ladies<\/p>\n

Group C Standings\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. University of Johannesburg
\n2. Mamelodi Sundowns
\n3. Blue Birds Ladies
\n4. University of Pretoria<\/p>\n

University of Johannesburg 4-0 University of Pretoria
\nBlue Birds Ladies 0-1 Mamelodi Sundowns
\nUniversity of Pretoria 1-4 Mamelodi Sundowns
\nBlue Birds Ladies 0-3 University of Johannesburg<\/p>\n

Group D Standings\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Future Stars Ladies
\n2. Diepkloof Ladies
\n3. Panorama FC
\n4. Thembalethu Ladies<\/p>\n

Diepkloof Ladies 1-3 Panorama FC
\nFuture Stars Ladies 7-0 Thembalethu Ladies
\nThembalethu Ladies 0-10 Diepkloof Ladies
\nPanorama FC 0-1 Future Stars Ladies<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 2025 Engen Knockout Challenge Gauteng leg kicked off at Wits Marks Park Sports Ground on Friday, with top u18 boys’ and u20 girls’ teams plotting a path towards provincial glory and a place in the Engen Champ of Champs. In the boys’ u18 division, coach Thato Mosala‘s Joburg City enjoyed an impressive opening day, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":77690,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77689","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=77689"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77689\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/77690"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=77689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=77689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=77689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}