Posted in News on Aug 10, 2007.
In what was probably going to be their most challenge and physically demanding game so far, Donald Ace Khsue’s team settled their nerves as they found an opening after just ten minutes through Stephen Faba. Faba was at it again as he completed his brace with five minutes of the second half gone.
The Nigerians did manage to pull one back to set up a photo finish to the match with twenty minutes to go. They were unable to deny the Chiefs u-19’s what was a morale-boosting win, and a victory which virtually secures their passage into the semifinals.
Fabulous Faba
Stephen Faba, the tough attack-minded Chiefs midfielder, continued on with his sparkling form from Thursday, which saw him grab a brace against the De Beers team, once again shone for the Chiefs u-19’s.
Faba started and finished off a move which saw him pick up the ball just past the half way line, the no nonsense midfielder dribbled his way past two opposition players and powered past a third, before passing the ball out to the left to Nyiko Tshabangu, who returned the favour with a pin-point pass back to Faba who finished off the move by knocking the ball home from close range.
Chiefs went further ahead five minutes into the second half in a copy cat move as Tshabangu stormed down the left and turned in a cross towards the International FC goal, Faba raced on to the ball and drilled it home from just a few yards to complete his second brace in consecutive games.
Forward to the quarterfinals
U-19’s Coach Ace Khuse described his team’s performance against the visiting Nigerian team as a gutsy and determined effort. He was particularly pleased with the way his defences handled the aerial threat posed by the towering Nigerian forward line.
A beaming Khuse said after the game “We knew it was going to be a tough game and it really was, I must credit my players for sticking to the game plan and not being intimidated by the bigger opposition players. I am just happy that we are in the quarterfinals”.
Khuse’s team have one final group D game against Bloemfontein Celtic on Saturday morning, the former Chiefs and Bafana Bafana international is now looking ahead to Saturday afternoons quarterfinals match.
“With us now in the next round, we will try to rest a number of our squad for the Celtic game and will allow some other guys the chance to experience what it is to play in a tournament of this magnitude. Our real focus now remains the quarterfinals and that is what we will be mulling over today and the latter part of tomorrow morning” concluded Khuse.
