FREE State Stars goalkeeper Thela Ngobeni has made a habit of emerging as the hero when they face Kaizer Chiefs in cup competitions.
The former Amakhosi shot-stopper was instrumental when Stars booted Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup semifinal on Saturday night, beating them 2-0 at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
Ngobeni’s brave saves kept Ea Lla Koto in the match and denied countless scoring chances to Amakhosi.
His gutsy performance on the night saw him named Man of the Match – and this is not the first time he has received this award for a game that featured the club where he had cut his teeth.
He helped Stars beat Chiefs 5-3 on penalties in the Telkom Knockout quarterfinal at the same venue last season, in a match that ended 1-1 after extra time.
The Mamelodi Sundowns loanee says he doesn’t really have Chiefs’ number – it’s all in a day’s work.
Said Ngobeni: “I thank Chiefs for everything they’ve done for me. I grew up there but I don’t feel like I perform extra hard when I play against them.
“I play my normal game – it just so happens that I was named Man of the Match at the end of both our cup clashes.
“Today’s win is very important to me because it provides me with a chance to win the trophy while fully involved in it. At Chiefs I never featured when they won any trophies.”
Ngobeni added that the toughest part of the tournament had yet to come – the actual final.
“The main thing we need to do as a club is to remain humble and take every match as it comes. Yes, we are happy with our victory but we can’t be overjoyed – we still have to play the actual final. The true celebrations can only start when we’ve won it,” added Ngobeni.
Stars coach Luc Eymael echoed the same sentiment, urging his players to remain humble and focused on the cause ahead.
He said: “It is important that my players remain focused and humble. We still have to play in the final and we also have that third place in the (Absa Premiership) table that we want to achieve.
“Beating Chiefs and going to the final is good for the club’s progress.
“I know no one gave us a chance when the season started. I also know no one would have bet even R10 that we would be where we are right now. So we will continue working hard.”
