TS Galaxy beat AmaZulu 3-2 to reach the final.
(Photo by Darren Stewart/Gallo Images)

• TS Galaxy beat AmaZulu 3-2 in an entertaining Carling Knockout semi-final to set up a meeting with Stellenbosch in the final.
• The Rockets crashed the dreams of a KZN dream final, turning the semis into a nightmare for the province 24 hours after Stellenbosch humbled Richards Bay. 
• Usuthu were made to pay for only waking up late in the second half as Galaxy held on to reach their first final since 2019. 
• For more sports news, go to the News24 Sport front page. 

DURBAN. – TS Galaxy and AmaZulu took the Carling Knockout’s motto to life – bringing on the electricity in an entertaining five-goal thriller that ended with Usuthu having their lights knocked out because they were not switched on in the first 30 minutes. 

The Rockets won a thrilling semi-final 3-2 to book a spot in the final against Stellenboch FC. Junior Dion and Augustine Kwem tried to bring Usuthu back into the contest with their late goals in the second half – but Galaxy did most of the damage in the first half. 

Eighty-two seconds into the match, Galaxy were already ahead thanks to the fast Lehlohonolo Mojela. Just before the half-hour mark, Mojela won the visitors a penalty that was converted by Higor Vidal, showing Galaxy’s intentions. 

As if to fire Usuthu up at halftime, the DJ played eMgungundlovu as the teams walked off. The song is about the greatest victory of the amaZulu nation, the Battle of Isandlwana. Under the command of Ntshingwayo kaMahole, the Zulu army soundly defeated British forces who had state-of-the-art arms while they were only fighting with spears and homemade weapons. 

With AmaZulu 2-0 down, with an uninspiring performance in the first half and Fiacre Ntwari brilliant in goals for the visitors – Usuthu needed to summon the spirit of the Battle of Isandlwana to turn the huge odds against them into their favour. 

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Their coach Pablo Franco – who was nicknamed Cijimpi by the club owners, a moniker that belongs to people who sharpen Zulu warriors – brought three soldiers at the start of the second half – Kwem, Tshepang Moremi and Taariq Fielies. 

Two of those soldiers combined when AmaZulu scored to make it 2-1. Fielies played a long ball that was knocked down by Junior Dion and then finished by Kwem with 15 minutes remaining. This pushed Usuthu to finish strong, but TS Galaxy were more clinical – Samir Nurkovic’s brilliant curler ended up being decisive, with Dion responding a few seconds later to set up a thrilling finish. 

The sponsors, Premier Soccer League (PSL), Stellenbosch FC and TS Galaxy, however, have to pull out all the stops to make the Carling Knockout final here on 16 December into a festive affair. 

The league and the sponsors were probably banking on a KwaZulu-Natal dream final when Moses Mabhida Stadium was announced as the venue for the showpiece after AmaZulu and Richards Bay were drawn in different matches in the semi-finals. 

To wet the KZN football lovers’ appetite, both teams were fortunately drawn at home in Durban in the last four – meaning the tournament’s last three matches would be played in the province.

The Rockets, however, shot down those dreams and turned the semi-finals into a nightmare for KwaZulu-Natal 24 hours after Stellies stunned the Natal Rich Boyz in Umlazi.

As a footballing spectacle, the Carling Knockout has two deserving teams in the showdown – TS Galaxy and Stellenbosch play an enterprising brand of football, they back themselves and are involved in projects that could see them become forces in SA football. 

The problem, however, is that the country’s football fans attend events and only really follow the big three – which means regardless of the merits of the route the two Carling Knockout finalists took to get here and the football they play, if there is no massive marketing drive the final could be poorly attended. 

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Even when KwaZulu-Natal teams were involved and playing at home – both semi-finals were poorly attended, especially AmaZulu’s match – with a handful of supporters inside the 45,000-seater. Golden Arrows’ coach Mabhuti Khenyeza diagnosed the problem and said the province’s football supporters don’t support football, but they support Gauteng teams as it’s only when they are in town games in the province are sold out. 

The morose sight of an almost empty Moses Mabhida Stadium was mirrored by AmaZulu, who were running on empty. The club’s animated supporter, who goes by his surname, Dlamini – who is famous for running up and down the Moses Mabhida Stadium stairs for most of the match – was, for the better part of this game, the most energetic person here wearing green. 

Usuthu only arrived in the second half, and they were made to pay for it by TS Galaxy, who held on against the late AmaZulu blitz to book a place in a final for the first time since they won the Nedbank Cup in 2019 at Moses Mabhida Stadium.