Stellenbosch Joins Chiefs In The CAF Confed Cup Group Stage
Stellenbosch FC’s CAF Confederations Cup journey continued after an emphatic 4-1 win in the Second Qualifying Round at Athlone Stadium.
The South African outfit had set its sights on progressing into the CAF Confederation Cup group stages, where it will look to give a good account of itself.
The match got off to an electric start as Sanele Barns struck the top right-hand corner of the post 11 minutes into the encounter, with Thabo Moloisane striking the same upright two minutes later, as Steve Barker’s made their intentions clear very early.
Their hard work paid off in the 18th minute as he was brought down inside the box, as he got to the ball first and was subsequently brought down by the 15 de Agosto goalkeeper. The diminutive Thato Khiba made no mistake from the penalty spot, as he slotted the ball into the bottom right-hand corner of the visitor’s net.
The goal sparked a bit of life into the Equato-Guinean side as their first notable attack came in the 27th minute, which resulted in a corner, which they failed to capitalize on.
The side from the Western Cape continued to assert its dominance in the game, with little clear-cut openings.
As halftime approached, Barns continued his knack of threatening Agosto’s defense, as he played a teasing ball into the six-yard box, which Ander de Jong failed to get on the end of.
With less than a minute played in the second half, Barns’ hard work paid off as he scored with a low, driven shot across the face of the goal.
de Jong got the third off the match, as he turned inside the box and calmly found the bottom left-hand corner to put further daylight between them and their opponents.
The visitors got a consolation in the 80th minute through a lapse of concentration in the Stellies’ defense.
Chumani Butsaka rounded off the scoring in the 88th minute to restore Stellenbosch’s three-goal cushion.
Stellies will be hoping that this win will be a catalyst for many more dominant displays, both domestically and on the continent.
