Milford FC goalkeeper Sifamandla Hreza was a hero for the club, saving his team during regulation play and scoring the winning penalty. (Photo credit: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)
- First Division side Milford FC lost to Kaizer Chiefs 5-4 on penalties and were eliminated in the last 32 of the Nedbank Cup.
- This happened after the match ended scoreless after two hours of soccer.
- With Chiefs falling off the pace in the league, this result means their trophy drought extends beyond nine years
- For more sports news, News24 Sports top page.
Milford FC caused a shock in the Nedbank Cup last 32 by overwhelming former cup kings-turned-poor Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium.
The loss marks a full nine years since Chiefs last lifted the Cup in May 2015. Dr Xanti Pupuma, coach and owner of Milford FC, who is a fan of the club, was the one who masterminded the result against Amakhossi. heart.
After two hours of football, the match ended scoreless, with a brave KwaZulu-Natal side defeating Chiefs 5-4 on penalties. A save from Milford goalkeeper Sifamandla Hreza forced the game into a penalty shootout, where he converted the winning penalty to the joy of his team and the hundreds of humble Chiefs supporters who attended FNB Stadium and watched on TV. It made millions of people happy.
Milford's resilience was evident in their push with one man down in the final 10 minutes of extra time after Vusimzi Mutabela was sent off for a second foul.
Optimistic Chiefs supporters will see this as the nature of the Nedbank Cup, where the underdogs rise to the occasion and take on the greats.
Pessimists stopped watching long ago, but realists are bracing for a trophy drought that lasts a decade or more unless there are fundamental changes.
These are due to the owners' financial strength rather than tactical acumen, with Amakhosi unable to find supporters after a disastrous result against a First Division side competing in the Motsepe Foundation Championship. There are three possible groups.
On paper, this was a very lopsided battle. Chiefs are the most successful team in the competition's history, while Milford struggled to win promotion due to their performances at ABC Motsepe, after the club's owners bought out Uthongashi FC's status in July last year. He is a first-division rookie campaigning at that level. alliance.
In fact, Milford have never won promotion, despite being promoted from the SAFA Regional League to the ABC Motsepe League and eventually to the campaigning First Division. The club has excelled at all of these levels.
There was supposed to be a class gap between them and the Chiefs, but Milford's determination and the Chiefs' wasteful nature in front of goal made it disappear. Rather than being intimidated and at a disadvantage, the Richards Bay side played bravely.
Read | Can fallen Soweto giants Chiefs return to the perch currently occupied by Sundowns?
They were organized, calm on the ball and tried to play the ball from the back. It wasn't until I saw them up close that I realized that even though they are now professionals, they still have amateur tendencies. It gives Chiefs a lot of space and the defense looks vulnerable when put under Cosh.
Fortunately, they were able to counter the Chiefs' sharp attack and extend the game to penalties. Chiefs couldn't even find the back of the net when Langa Chibabilo won a penalty towards the end of the first half of extra time.
Chibavilo's penalty was saved by Freza, who was on cloud 9 when his team went into a penalty shootout. With some heroics in goal and two goal-line clearances from defenders, Milford took Amakhos to penalties.
With each passing minute with the scoreline 0-0, Milford grew more confident and the Chiefs, who were not helped by the team's crowd losing patience, became more desperate. Amakhosi fans, whose outrage led to coach Molefi Ntseki being sacked and the club being fined R1 million and ordered to play one game behind closed doors, began demanding substitutions five minutes into the second half.
The technical team responded and listened to the audience's excitement. Cavin Johnson made three changes in the final hour, bringing on Pule Mmoudi, Chibavilo and young sensation Mfundo Vilakazi to increase their attacking options.
The trio failed to give Amakos the chance to score in regulation time, with the club failing to find the back of the net for the second consecutive game in the new year, despite having been working on their attack for more than a month due to African influences. I couldn't do it. During the break in the Nations Cup.
Johnson defended Chiefs not signing anyone in the January transfer window, especially up front, where problems have been evident since the start of the season, allowing them to work with what they have and refine it. said.
This requires heavy polishing to shine. The excited sounds of the Chiefs supporters must have felt like sweet music to Pupuma, who is also an Amaccos supporter.
Read | 'They don't scare me”: Milford FC owner, who is also a Kaizer Chiefs fan, was unfazed by having to play Amakhosi
Pupuma boasted before the match that he has followed the club as a fan since he was young and knows the club inside and out, but information about his charges was limited. He claimed his acumen would help make the Chiefs better, and his team delivered. The frustration of Chiefs supporters was a tribute to Milford, who held his own, unlike other lower-level teams that faced the Giants.
A burly man in Chiefs colors tried to dash towards the ball just before the penalty shootout with a bottle in his hand that looked like he wanted to sprinkle something on it. The referee became alarmed and spotted him and expelled him from the field.
Without any “guidance” provided by the man, the Chiefs lost on penalties after Edson Castillo missed the crucial spot kick. Milford silenced FNB Stadium by converting all five players.
The KZN side includes Mamelodi Sundowns, SuperSport United, Sekhuhune United, University of Pretoria, AmaZulu, Stellenbosch, TS Galaxy, Morooka Swallows, Ravens, Hungry Lions, Orlando Pirates, Richards Bay FC and Maritzburg. – He will join United, De General and Chippa United. The draw for the final 16 games will be held on Monday night. The draw is unseeded.