‘When you win trophies, you always hear your name,’ said Galaxy head coach Adnan Beganovic.
TS Galaxy head coach Adnan Beganovic has stressed the importance of the club winning the Nedbank Cup for the second time, now that the Rockets have sealed a place in the final against Durban City.
Galaxy on the spot
Galaxy were made to work extremely hard by Motsepe Foundation Championship leaders Milford FC on Sunday, but eventually triumphed 4-3 on penalties, following a 1-1 draw after extra time.
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Galaxy won the Nedbank Cup in 2019, when they were playing in the second tier of South African football, stunning Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 in the final.
Now they will head into the final against Betway Premiership newbies Durban City as the slight favourites to lift the trophy.
“It is very important for us as players, coaching staff and as a club to do it for a second time in our history,” Beganovic told SuperSport TV.
“When you win trophies, you always hear your name. We need to do that for our kids, we deserve it. We have done a lot of work this year., we have had some tough periods but I think we deserve to write history.”
Milford took the lead against Galaxy at the Solomon Mahlangu Stadium when Siphosethu Ndlabi’s deft flick beat Rockets goalkeeper Ira Tape in the 11th minute.
Letsoalo leveller
Victor Letsoalo’s fine header levelled matters for Galaxy in the 57th minute, and with the two sides deadlocked after 120 minutes, the game came down to spot kicks.
With both sides scoring three of their first five penalties, Milford’s Comfort Sibiya saw his rather weak effort saved by Tape, and Patrick Fisher stepped up to send Galaxy into the final.
In Saturday’s semifinal, City triumphed 1-0 over Casric Stars. Stars centre back Sphamandla Mlilo put the ball into his own net in the 6th minute and interim coach Pitso Dladla’s City side held on for the win.
“In the first half we controlled the game very well and scored the early goal. But that also made the boys sit back and not play as we wanted to,” Dladla told SuperSport TV.
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“A game like this is sometimes psychological. In the second half we survived sustained pressure,” especially when they brought in the tall striker Simon (Mokuete) and had Decide Chauke and (Mlungisi) Zwane on the sides. It became a problem.”
City and Galaxy are set to meet in the final on May 2, at a venue still to be announced by the Premier Soccer League.
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