Kasaona knocks out CBS U/19

… KFA books U/17 final showdown

Collin Benjamin’s Soccer Talents (CBS) U/19 side were knocked out of the MTC HopSol Youth League in the semi-finals on Saturday, losing 5-4 on penalties to Kasaona Football Academy (KFA) after a goalless draw in normal time.

Despite being reduced to 10 men after a red card, Kasaona held their nerve to force a penalty shootout, in which they eventually secured their place in the final.

CBS coach Rudi Louw described the match as a hard-fought encounter and congratulated Kasaona on their victory.

It was a good game. I would like to congratulate Kasaona on the win. My players did very well; a Kasaona player was sent off, and we managed the
game, but we couldn’t score. Luck was not on our side. You could see the quality of both teams,

– Louw said.

He admitted that his players lacked composure and urgency in crucial moments, a failure that ultimately cost them a place in the final.

I have to give credit to my boys. It was simply a lack of composure, urgency and mental strength. Ultimately, it is all about mental strength. We need to give credit to the winning team.

Louw also praised Kasaona’s approach, noting that their physical and direct style made the match difficult.

The biggest difference is that you can see they came with a game plan. There wasn’t much in it between the two teams. Kasaona hit the box, they played rough and in your face. We managed that,

but we just couldn’t capitalise on our chances,

– he said.

Kasaona coach Mattheus Hamupolo was delighted with his team’s resilience, particularly after they were reduced to 10 players.

It was quite a tough game. CBS always give us a run for our money, and the game became even tougher when we received a red card,

– Hamupolo said.

He explained that his side had to adjust its tactics after the dismissal, focusing on managing the game and exploiting counter-attacking opportunities.

Overall, we managed the game. That is what we wanted to do in the second half – manage the game and beat them on the counter. The boys came to the table. They really came to the table in the second half.

Hamupolo praised his players for fighting for every ball and for executing their revised game plan under difficult conditions.

With a man down, we had to change the game plan, and they executed it. I’ll give them an eight out of 10. They did very well to manage the balls coming through from the wings, especially given how many there were.

He added that the extreme heat made the task even more demanding.

For this heat wave, it was asking too much of the boys, but they managed it. So I’m giving them an eight out of 10; they did very well,

– Hamupolo concluded.

Elsewhere

Kaizen Football Academy (KFA) U/17 booked their place in the final after edging Dama Soccer Academy 3-2 at the same venue later on Saturday afternoon.

KFA coach James Britz admitted that reaching the final was something of a relief after what he described as a difficult season for the academy.

Our U/17s didn’t do well at the beginning. We struggled, and there are still a few things we are really struggling with. At our level at KFA, that is unacceptable because these are basic things we are struggling with, and it is almost the end of the year,

– Britz said.

We are going into November now, and we have struggled with those things from January up to now. We need improvement in that regard; otherwise, we will struggle in the final.

However, Britz praised his players for their character and resilience throughout a challenging campaign, which also saw the team change coaches at the players’ request.

Let me give it to the boys. It was a difficult season for them. Through ups and downs, we had to change coaches because they asked for it, and we responded to their request. What they gave us is a final.

Britz believes the young squad has plenty of room for improvement, with many of the players still eligible for the U/17 category next season.

I think this group is a good group. We will improve. We have a young side, and many of them will still be U/17 next year. You can also see that discipline has improved, because that is one of the things we struggled with.

He added that the team has grown significantly in size since the beginning of the season.

In the beginning, we were only 14, 13, sometimes 12 players for a game. Now we are 18, so the full team is here. I believe we will do well in the final as well.

Britz said the players are now motivated by the prospect of winning silverware.

It doesn’t matter who we are going to play against because these boys are smelling it. They are smelling victory; they are smelling gold. We are in an unfortunate position now, where we are guaranteed a medal. It doesn’t matter if it is silver or gold, but currently we are in the top two.

Despite the victory, Britz admitted that KFA made the match more difficult for themselves by failing to maintain possession.

I think we made it tougher. It was not so difficult, but one reason we made it tougher was that we didn’t keep the ball. We are a team that is supposed
to keep the ball, but unfortunately we are not keeping it.

He also pointed to a goalkeeper error that allowed Dama back into the contest, while revealing that the team’s only goalkeeper is currently injured.

The goalkeeper error brought them into the game, and the unfortunate part is that our goalkeeper is also injured. That is the only one we have now, so it is difficult for us.

Nevertheless, Britz said his players were showing the character needed to compete for the title.

As I said, the boys are showing good character. They should be disappointed, but we are, in all honesty, fighting for what we want,

– he concluded.

Strauss Lunyangwe

Captions:
Photo 1: Secured… KFA have booked their place in the U/17 group final after a 3-2 quarter-final win this past weekend.
Photo 2: Out… Swallows U/19 were sent home after DTS knocked them out 4-2.
Photos: Contributed