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Ea Lla Koto are the Nedbank Cup Champions!

───   MORGAN PIEK 10:17 Sat, 19 May 2018

Ea Lla Koto are the Nedbank Cup Champions! | News Article
Goodman Dlamini - Shaun Roy

The Qwaqwa-based Premier Soccer League club, Free State Stars, ended their 2017/18 campaign in the best possible way by claiming silverware on Saturday evening.


Ea Lla Koto lifted the 2017/18 Nedbank Cup after beating the much more fancied Maritzburg United 1-0 at the Cape Town Stadium.

Stars won the Cup match thanks to a goal by Goodman Dlamini on the stroke of half time in the Mother City.

Just a year ago the team from Bethlehem survived relegation in the PSL and under the guidance of the Belgium coach, Luc Eymael, Ea Lla Koto, managed to secure the sixth place in the standings this season.

For much of the campaign they were also strong contenders to finish in the top three, and even put pressure on the new champions, Mamelodi Sundowns, at the top of the standings.

The first chance on goal was by the men from the Free State, however, Patrick Phungwayo, didn’t trouble the Team of Choice’s goalkeeper Richard Ofori, too much with the shot.

Sinethemba Jantjie in his the turn did well with his attacks and produced several threatening runs, but opportunities on goal were few and far between.

The former Bafana Bafana defender and Bloemfontein Celtic captain, Bevan Fransman, saw his header in the latter stages of the opening stanza dealt with by Thela Ngobeni. A moment later Lebohang Maboe’s shot from close range was blocked.

The breakthrough came just before the end of the first half, and once again Jantjie played his part. Following another good run, his cross was collected by Dlamini who had no trouble in finding the back of the net from the edge of the box for a 1-0 lead.

The side from KwaZulu-Natal changed things up in the second half, but credit has to go to the Ea Lla Koto midfield for containing the Maritzburg threat.

With 20 minutes of regulation time left on the clock, Andrea Fileccia, came close to equalising, however his attempt on goal hit the side netting.

Siyanda Xulu, who was playing in his fourth Cup final and was hunting for his first-ever title also came agonisingly close to scoring for Maritzburg, but his shot from six yards out sailed over the crossbar.

The time on the clock ran out for Maritzburg and it was Ea Lla Koto who truly deserved their first-ever Nedbank Cup title.

The title could very well have secure the name of the Free State Stars coach, Luc Eymael, on the PSL Coach of the Year title.


Morgan Piek/OFM Sport

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