Milford FC’s goalkeeper Siphamandla Hleza was the hero for the club, saving them during regulation play and scoring the winning penalty.
(Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)
- First division side Milford FC humbled Kaizer Chiefs, eliminating them in the last 32 of the Nedbank Cup with a 5-4 defeat in penalties.
- This was after the match ended goalless following two hours of football.
- With Chiefs off the pace in the league, this results means their trophy drought will stretch beyond nine years
- For more sport news, go to the News24 Sport front page.
Milford FC produced the shock of the of the Nedbank Cup last 32 by stunning former cup kings-turned paupers Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium.
The loss means that Chiefs’ trophy drought will stretch to nine full years, with the club last lifting a cup in May of 2015. A fan of the club, Milford FC’s coach and owner, Dr. Xanti Pupuma, masterminded the result that broke Amakhosi hearts.
The plucky KwaZulu-Natal side beat Chiefs 5-4 in penalties, after the match finished goalless following two hours of football. Milford’s goalkeeper Siphamandla Hleza, whose saves took the match to penalties, converted the winning penalty to send his team to jubilation and humble Chiefs’ supporters, who had made the trip to FNB Stadium as well as the millions who watched on television.
Milford’s resilience was evident in their push in the final 10 minutes of extra time, which they did with a man down after Vusimuzi Mthabela was sent off for a second bookable offence.
The optimist Chiefs’ supporters will put this down to it being the nature of the Nedbank Cup, where the underdogs rise to the occasion and challenge the big guns.
The pessimist stopped watching a long time ago, while the realist is bracing for the trophy drought stretching beyond 10 years if no drastic changes are made.
Those are the three groups where you will find Amakhosi supporters after a woeful display against a first division side that is in the Motsepe Foundation Championship because of the owner’s financial strength rather than their tactical acumen.
On paper, this was a very lopsided battle. Chiefs are the most successful team in the history of this competition, while Milford are first division rookies who are campaigning at that level because club owner bought the status of Uthongathi FC in July last year after struggling to gain promotion through their performances in the ABC Motsepe League.
In fact, Milford have never won promotion despite rising from the SAFA Regional League to the ABC Motsepe League and eventually the first division where they are campaigning. The club has bought their way up in all those tiers.
There was supposed to be a gulf in class between them and Chiefs, but Milford’s determination and Chiefs’ wasteful nature in front of goals cut it into oblivion. Instead of being overawed and outclassed, the Richards Bay side put on a plucky display.
READ| Can fallen Soweto giants Chiefs return to the perch currently occupied by Sundowns?
They were organised, calm on the ball as they tried to play it out of the back. It’s only when you looked at them closer that you saw that even though they are now professionals, they still have amateur tendencies – giving Chiefs lots of space and their defence looking vulnerable when put under the cosh.
Luckily for them, they were up against a blunt Chiefs attack and were able to drag the match right up to penalties. Chiefs couldn’t even find the back of the net when Ranga Chivaviro won a penalty in the dying minutes of the first half of extra time.
Chivaviro’s penalty was saved by Hleza who was on cloud nine when his team went to penalties. His heroics in goal as well as two goal-line clearances from his defenders helped Milford take Amakhosi to penalties.
With each passing minute of the scoreline remaining 0-0, the more confident Milford became, and the more desperate Chiefs – who were not helped by their own crowd losing their patience – were. Amakhosi fans – whose violent antics led to the sacking of coach Molefi Ntseki and the club being fined R1-million and ordered to play one game behind closed doors – started calling for substitutions five minutes into the second half.
The technical team listened, much to the crowd’s excitement. Cavin Johnson made a triple substitution in the hour mark to bring in more attacking options with the introductions of Pule Mmodi, Chivaviro and young sensation Mfundo Vilakazi.
The trio couldn’t inspire Amakhosi to finding a goal in regulation time, which saw the club fail to find the back of the net after two successive matches in the new year despite having more than a month to work on their attack due to the Africa Cup of Nations’ break.
Johnson defended Chiefs’ not signing anyone in the January transfer market, especially upfront where problems have been evident since the start of the season, saying he could work with what he has and polish it.
This will need one mighty polishing for it to shine. The sound of agitated Chiefs’ supporters must have felt like sweet music to Pupuma, who is also an Amakhosi supporter.
Pupuma boasted before the match that he knows the club inside out, having followed them since he was young as a fan while they have limited information on his charges. He argued that insight will help him get the better of Chiefs, which his team did. Chiefs’ supporters’ frustration was a compliment to Milford who – unlike the other lower teams who faced giants – held their own.
A burly man, clad in Chiefs’ colours, tried to make a dash for the ball right before the penalty shootout with a bottle he looked like he wanted to sprinkle something from. The referee was alert to spot him and banished him from the field.
Without whatever “guidance” that man brought, Chiefs lost in penalties with Edson Castillo missing the decisive spot kick. Milford converted all five to silence FNB Stadium.
The KZN side will join Mamelodi Sundowns, SuperSport United, Sekhukhune United, University of Pretoria, AmaZulu, Stellenbosch, TS Galaxy, Moroka Swallows, Ravens, Hungry Lions, Orlando Pirates, Richards Bay FC, Maritzburg United, D’General and Chippa United in the last 16 draw that will be conducted on Monday evening. The draw is unseeded.
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