Itumeleng Khune was full of praises for his teammates following the Amakhosi victory to the semifinals of the 2013 TKO. Chiefs conquered Free State Stars in their own backyard at the Charles Mopeli Stadium in Phuthaditjhaba on Sunday, 20 October 2013. Chiefs won the encounter on penalties, after the two sides were deadlocked 1 -1 in normal time.

The Amakhosi skipper, Khune, who is nominated in the SA Sports Awards for the Sports Star of the Year and Sports Man of the Year, thanked his teammates and the supporters who braved the weather to attend the match at the rainy Charles Mopeli:

It was not a good game, to be honest. The weather was bad but the players gave it their all. We are just happy to advance to the semis.

Khune saved two penalties during the penalty kicks. He told kaizerchiefs.com that the two saves reminded him of 2007 TKO Final:

The penalty saves brought back memories of the 2007 TKO. The heroics were reminiscent of the saves I made when we lifted the trophy against Sundowns. They were similar saves, from the bottom right hand corner. Those saves feature prominently in the landmarks that brought me where I am today.

Khune returned from the national duty last week where Bafana Bafana played to a 1-all draw against Morocco and the Bafana Bafana skipper said:

As a captain I have to inspire the Team. The players believed in me to save the penalties. The guys came to encourage me before the penalty kicks and I couldn’t disappoint them. It was also a moment to justify my nomination as the Sports Star of the Year and Sports Man of the Year in the SA Sports Awards. This performance must surely inspire people to vote for me in the category of Sports Star of the Year.

The supporters came in their numbers to watch the game. Khune was very happy with the support the Team received at Charles Mopeli Stadium:

We wanted to put smiles on the Amakhosi faithful. It was pelting heavily but the supporters stuck with us until the end of the game. One thing though, we still had a section of supporters who booed our players. We need everyone’s support. Kingston (Nkhatha) contributed to our success last season and he still does. We would like to urge the supporters to support each and every Chiefs player. Kingston will not get his goal scoring confidence back as long as the supporters behave negatively.

In order to vote for Itumeleng Khune as Sports Star of the Year, you can dial *120*8883# and select 1. Meanwhile Kaizer Chiefs is nominated as Team of the Year in the SA Sports Award but there is no voting process for this category.