DTS takes top honours in the U/12 penalty showdown
…while KFA lift the U/15 trophy
Deutscher Turn und Sportverein (DTS) U/12 produced a thrilling comeback when they came from behind to force a two all draw against Julinho Athletic Football Club (JAFC), winning the match 4-2 on penalties.
The action-packed match had parents and families on the edge of their seats from start to finish late on Saturday afternoon at the Jan Möhr football field.
DTS coach Patrick Sille said it was a tough win on the day, especially when they went a boy down, which made the victory more rewarding with a strong fighting spirit.
As I told my boys from the beginning, it’s not by luck that we came here. I told my boys, coming to the finals, it’s already a motivation for you guys. And then you saw what happened in the first few minutes. We decided to press them. That’s where they got us on the front foot, where they scored an early goal, which got us out of the game. My boys were beaten down,
– he said.
As soon as they were trying to come up again, they conceded a red card. And then we had to make changes from there. As soon as the red card came, we conceded 2-0. Coming back in the second half, I told my boys, I believe in you guys. You guys are going to come back, want it or not. So, we’re going to make a tactical change. We’re going to play two at the back and then from there, we’re going to play three in the middle and then two up front, staying up front, not coming back. And then it paid off; my boys showed that they really deserve the win,
– the coach said.
As you know, it all starts with the coach, the attitude that you give the boys; that’s the attitude that they’re going to give on the field. So, if I’m down, then my boys will also be down. But then if I keep on encouraging, keep on saying I believe in them, then they also get that belief in themselves. They fight for the team; they fight for everyone watching DTS. They fight for their coach, which makes me very super proud of them,
– he ended.
JACFA coach Protash Kabwe said having an advantage over his opponents made things difficult for them because DTS became hungrier even though they were leading 2-0.
One man down is not going to be easy when you play a team with a player down. Because they will give it all, they play without structure. We try to play with structure. They play without structure, and you can see the way they score their two goals. Beautiful goals anyway, but the first ball, as you can see, we were slacking in our defence. We just passed the ball to the striker, and the striker just pushed it through. But it’s part of the game, yeah. It was the final showdown.
After every final game, kids will cry, but we need to try and teach these kids to understand the game. Because I am here to coach them; they are here to play. So if you ask them a question, why are you crying? They must give you an answer. Okay, coach, I’m crying because we lost the game. Then you have to answer: we lost the game; it’s part of the game. We were not the best on the field; they were the best on the field. That’s why they won that game. We also need to help our kids understand this game. As I said, this is beautiful. I hope and wish that MTC is going to add two more years again. You know, this is our life. Football is our life as coaches. It’s not just a game. So, we think they can also add two more years again for the kids to
enjoy this; this is the game we love. Even if we lose this, we hope to lose this beautifully,
– he concluded.
Elsewhere
Kaizen Football Academy (KFA) came out on top by beating Sport Klub Windhoek (SKW) 1-0 to lift the U/15 cup for the 2026 season. Coach James Britz, who was also named U/15 coach of the year, was pleased with his charges’ performance on the day.
We created enough; I like the tempo of the game. I mean, first off, it wasn’t really what we expected, not even what we prepared for, but otherwise I love the fighting spirit all the way to the final whistle. I can only give it to the boys. To be honest, they fought. We created enough, but we just couldn’t take it away. But otherwise, look, we try again,
– he said.
Britz also shared some words of encouragement to the SKW players for a good game of football and assured them it was a learning curve for them going forward.
These are young boys; they are just 14 years. Again, I mean, next year we try again. I know, and I’m confident that these boys are going to take it. Yeah, boys, don’t break down. It’s nothing; it’s one goal. It happens in the world of football. I mean, you didn’t lose by a big margin, which I’m proud of. Keep on pushing, keep on going forward. I mean, at the end of the day, if you fight harder, the reward will be there for you,
– he ended.
Strauss Lunyangwe
Captions:
Photo 1: Winners…KFA won the U/15 trophy by beating SKW 1-0 in their final.
Photo 2: Lineup…SKW came in second place in the U/15 age group category.
Photos: Ligola Amutenya
