SA Star Continues Stellar Form In Denmark
South African winger Gift Links staged another impressive performance in Denmark as he scored the decisive goal in his team’s 1-0 win over Brondby IF in the first leg of the Oddset Pokalen Cup quarterfinal on Sunday.
The Aarhus GF left wing-back found the back of the net in the 74th minute to take his tally to two goals in the domestic cup competition after netting an extra-time winner in a 3-2 victory against second-division side Skive IK in the last 16.
AGF have placed themselves in a favorable position to progress to the semi-final ahead of the return leg away at Brondby Stadion on Sunday as they will be aiming to maintain their five-game unbeaten run against their opponents, with four wins and one draw.
The Aarhus-based outfit will be eager and desperate to end their long-standing trophy drought with their last silverware dating back to the 1995/96 season in the form of the Danish Cup while league triumph dates to 1985/86.
In the wake of Links’ solitary goal, AGF have snapped a three-match winless streak after failing to win their last three outings in the Danish Superliga, where they currently occupy fourth place with 28 points – five behind leaders Copenhagen after 17 matches played.
The former Cape Town City man has netted two goals and provided three assists in 14 league appearances, starting 13 of those encounters in the ongoing 2024/25 campaign despite being sidelined for a month due to a groin injury in September.
Overall, Links, who won the MTN8 title with the Citizens under Benni McCarthy during the 2018/19 season, has registered four goals and three assists in 16 matches across all competitions so far.
However, the 26-year-old Northwest-born player, who was in the 2023/24 Superliga team of the season, has often been overlooked for Bafana Bafana call-ups, let alone making the preliminary squads in recent times.
It remains to be seen whether Links’ stellar displays will catch the eye of Belgian mentor Hugo Broos with the Platinum Stars academy graduate last representing the national team in September 2021 during a World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe.
