MTN8: Stellenbosch Wins Battle But Loses War
“It’s bittersweet. We won the battle today but we lost the war. I was happy with the performance, very pleased with the performance and proud of the performance, but obviously disappointed that we have again come so close to a final and not gotten over the line,” Stellenbosch coach, Steve Barker said after winning 1-0 over Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 Semifinal 2nd leg.
Before Sunday, no club had won an MTN8 2nd leg match against Orlando Pirates at Orlando Stadium. Steve Barker and his charges broke a record but will still have to watch the final from home. It was a valiant performance typical of how well Stellenbosch is coached, and more importantly, how well-developed the club has become.
“As I said before the game, we started the day with six players who were playing DDC two or three seasons ago, plus Mervin Boji on the bench, so a very young squad out there and they can be very proud of what they did,” noted Barker on the age of his team.
Stellenbosch has shown it can compete with the big boys in the DSTV Premiership, having beaten the same Orlando Pirates two times out of the three games played so far.
While Stellenbosch will concentrate on the league until the next knockout competition, Orlando Pirates were drawn as the home team for the final. The first final of the 2023/4 season will staged at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on the 7th of October. It is the second time in two seasons that the MTN8 final is held in the coastal city, with Orlando Pirates involved.
