Winners And Losers: Carling Black Knockout

Mamelodi Sundowns and Magesi FC will battle for the Carling Cup after both teams progressed to the final over the weekend. On Saturday, surprise package Magesi continued their unlikely run, beating Richards Bay 1-0 away from home. On Sunday, Sundowns needed patience to overcome an impressive Marumo Gallants in Bloemfontein. One of these two teams will be crowned champion in two weeks, marking the second trophy of the PSL season. Winners & Losers is a statistical review of the weekend’s action.

Winners

Magesi

A year ago this weekend, Magesi were fifth in the NFD standings, behind teams like Hungry Lions, JDR Stars, and Orbit College. Twelve months later, they are in the League Cup final, having knocked out Orlando Pirates, last season’s finalists TS Galaxy, and semi-finalists Richards Bay along the way. The whole club deserves praise for the transformation they have undergone, but no one merits more credit than the players themselves. They started the season with many doubting they could survive in the top-flight, but two months later, they are one step away from becoming the first-ever newly promoted side to lift the League Cup.

2 – Magesi FC are only the second newly promoted club to reach the League Cup final (Rothmans/Coke/TKO/Carling), after Silver Stars in 2003.

Clinton Larsen

“The players we have may not be the most talented group, but they have an unbelievable fighting spirit, and as a coach, I appreciate that.”

When the season started, neither Larsen nor Magesi were considered a serious threat. The coach himself has said they may not be the most talented group, but their fighting spirit is incredible. Yet, he may be underplaying his role in cultivating that spirit and filtering out the negative noise.

2 – Clinton Larsen has reached his second League Cup final, his first being in 2012 with Bloemfontein Celtic.

Elvis Chipezeze

The Last 16 tie against Pirates was a goal-fest with five goals scored between both sides, and it could have been more. Since then, Magesi has won their quarter-final and semi-final games by the perfect tournament scoreline of 1-0. Chipezeze is well-known for his game management tactics and humor, but behind that is a goalkeeper whose experience has proven crucial for this newly promoted side.

3 – Chipezeze is the only player to win the Man of the Match award three times in this tournament.

Sundowns

Since the start of the 2021/22 season, Sundowns have reached six cup finals, more than any other PSL team. Overall, this is their eighth League Cup final (Coke/Rothmans/TKO/Carling Cups); only the Chiefs (10) have reached more finals in this competition in the PSL era. Sundowns are on the verge of something special, though.

2014 – Sundowns are the first team to reach the League Cup final without conceding a single goal since Platinum Stars in 2014/15.

Lucas Costa

Cheeky. Audacious. Outrageous. Lucas Costa is a game-changer in the truest sense of the phrase, and his Panenka penalty was another addition to his list of “Wow” moments. He showed signs of brilliance at the start of last season but tailed off due to injuries. This season, he’s re-proving himself.

11 – Costa has been involved in 11 goals this season (7 goals & 4 assists) in 12 games, nearly half of his total last season (23 in 37 games).

Losers

Carling Cup Publicity

There was little marketing done for the Carling Cup semi-finals this weekend, leaving one to wonder who is responsible for that. The semi-finals of the second biggest cup competition in the country deserve more publicity and fan engagement. With the final just two weeks away, let’s hope for positive changes in this regard.

Richards Bay

Richards Bay has come close to the final on two occasions but fallen at the last hurdle each time. It must be encouraging for the team to reach this stage in the competition, but equally frustrating not to take that final leap.