Posted in News, Youth Academy on Jul 09, 2024.
Goals from Mpho Khethang and Neo Bohloko earned Kaizer Chiefs a well-deserved 2-0 victory over Mamelodi Sundowns in the final of the 2024 Engen Knockout Challenge at Marks Park in Johannesburg on Sunday afternoon.
The team swept allcomers aside, going through the entire U18 tournament undefeated, with only one goal conceded in six matches. They began on Saturday morning with a 2-0 win over Jomo Cosmos in their opening group fixture and followed it up with victories over Randburg FC, 3-1, and Transition Football, 3-0, to finish top of Group A.
They concluded the day with a comfortable 3-0 triumph over TUKS in the quarterfinals to move smoothly through to the last four.
Amakhosi faced a rematch against their group rivals, Randburg FC in the semifinal on Sunday morning, and needed a nail-biting 3-2 penalty shootout win to reach the final, after the game ended 0-0.
The Brazilians were no match for the Glamour Boys in the final, as a dominant Chiefs side scored twice without reply to give their numerous supporters something to celebrate and hope for a bright future for the Club.
Naturally, Chiefs received due recognition at the post-tournament awards ceremony, with coach David Mathebula being declared Coach-of-the-Tournament. Gopolang Taunyana was acknowledged as the Defender-of-the-Tournament, and Ofentse Kgosana walked away with both the Striker-of-the-Tournament and Player-of-the-Tournament accolades on a memorable day for the youth development department.
Congratulations to the Boys! You have brought honour to Kaizer Chiefs.