Stellenbosch book nextgen Final spot

DStv Diski Challenge champions, Stellenbosch FC have booked their spot in the Premier League Next Generation Cup final.

Stellenbosch kept a 100 per cent winning record in the group matches beating Premier League sides Tottenham Hotspurs, Aston Villa, and Crystal Palace with the same 1-0 scoreline.

That saw them topping Group A with nine points and they will now face Everton in the tournament final.

It is worth noting that, Sunday's final would be Stellies third consecutive time playing in the Premier League Next Generation Cup final.

In 2022, they made their debut in the tournament and exceeded expectations when they clinched it with a resounding 7-2 win in the final, beating Leicester City in London.

The following year, (2023) they went to India to defend their title, unfortunately, they could not as they lost 5-4 on penalties to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Stellies returned home and did not rest on their laurels as they fought to win the 2023/24 Diski Challenge league, which became their second title.

As part of their reward for winning the SA’s Reserve League, they were then invited to take part in the prestigious Youth Tournament again.

They started the group stages with a 1-0 win over Spurs, which was followed by another 1-0 win against Villa. On Saturday they recorded another 1-0 victory, a tough encounter against Palace.

Palace dominated the first half as they had better chances but failed to find a goal as they went to the break tied 0-0.

In the second half, Palace were awarded a penalty but Stellies goalkeeper David Passman stood firm to deny Palace a goal.

Five minutes later, in the 37th minute, Stellies scored the only goal of the match through captain Ahmed Shaakir’s glancing header.

Palace tried to fight back but Stellies were taking no prisoners as they cleared everything to register the third win of the tournament.

They will now face Everton in the final on Sunday afternoon.