The resolve of the hitherto high-riding Stellenbosch FC will be tested after suffering an unexpected 2-0 defeat against Lamontville Golden Arrows at Athlone Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Before this fixture, Stellenbosch had won all six matches across various competitions this season, and everything pointed to a winning start to their Premiership campaign.
However, with a weekend match against one of Angola’s most formidable teams looming in the CAF Confederation Cup, Stellenbosch coach Steve Barker decided to rest five key players to guard against fatigue because of their workload in the early part of the season.
The untried Stellenbosch team failed to capitalise on their good fortune after dominating with 67% possession and setting up 14 shots at goal, five of which were on target.
Arrows were restricted to six shots, two of which were on target. The corner count of 10-3 also reflected the pressure exerted on the KwaZulu-Natal club’s rearguard.
Afterwards, Barker said the defeat was a “humbling experience” and football’s way of bringing his team “down to earth”.
“It is not the result we wanted to start our league season,” said Barker. “Football can bring you back down to earth and humble you.
“If I look at the match, I believe if we played this game 10 times, we would probably win it more times than we lose it. We played well in the first half, but our execution in the final third let us down.”
In the 41st minute, newcomer Sanele Barns scored but was denied by the assistant referee’s offside flag.
Barker said it was one of several offside calls against his side during the match, but added that it was time to move on and focus on Sunday’s fixture against AS Vita Club in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (4pm start).
“I wouldn’t say I’m pleased with our performance, but it didn’t warrant the 2-0 loss,” said Barker. “We need to get over this as quickly as possible and learn quickly. We are on a learning curve, with the club fighting on all fronts this season.
“We are still positive. We’ve played seven games and won six, and we have a big game lying ahead on Sunday away to AS Vita.
“It doesn’t help to dwell on this loss. We must focus on that game, and the big derby game in our next league game next Wednesday (against Cape Town City).”
𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟-𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘! – We'll look to bounce back after a disappointing defeat to start our #BetwayPrem campaign.
Stellenbosch 0️⃣–2️⃣ Golden Arrows pic.twitter.com/D84yZ4kt62
Sunday’s match against AS Vita Club will take place at the 80 000-seater Stade des Martyrs, one of Africa’s biggest stadiums. It will be an intimidating experience for Stellies, who are debutants in the continental competition.
The match will be the CAF Confederation Cup second preliminary round second-leg fixture. Stellenbosch enjoy a 2-0 aggregate advantage after winning the first leg in Cape Town last week Friday.
Meanwhile, Sekhukhune United warmed up for tomorrow’s Confederation Cup fixture with a narrow 1-0 derby win over newly promoted Magesi FC in their first Premiership match of the season at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Wednesday.
After the match, Sekhukhune coach Khabo Zondo praised his team’s discipline and ability to grind out a winning result.
A massive thank you to all our incredible fans who showed up yesterday!
Re leboga thekgo ya lena Babina Noko
🦔🦔🦔#Adibahlabe pic.twitter.com/AaaPffu2GK
“We knew it would be a tough game, especially because it was a derby. The boys showed great character,” said Zondo.
“It wasn’t the prettiest win, but we got the job done, and that’s what matters.”
Tomorrow, Sekhukhune will host Lunda Sul (Angola) in a second preliminary round, second-leg fixture. Last week, Lunda Sul, playing in the continental competition for the first time, ran out 1-0 winners in the first leg.