The All-Stars beat Stellenbosch 2-1 in Saturday’s Carling Cup final at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Saturday.
Mfundo Vilakazi opened the scoring for the All-Stars in the fourth minute before Ashley du Preez converted a penalty in the 12th for a 2-0 lead. Mervin Bodji struck in the 93rd minute for Stellenbosch.
“You would have given Stellenbosch a win just before the game started. But the fact that we got two early goals, it shows that we responded very well as players,” said 36-year-old All-Stars captain Itumeleng Khune, who was named player of the match.
“I felt like a youngster, the way I was enjoying the game. It is not all about me, it is all about the All-Stars team.
“Thanks to everyone who has contributed to making sure that we prepare well for this game, as we all know that Stellenbosch is a very good team. I’m happy that we managed to match them.
“We only had two training sessions, and we responded positively. We all came from different clubs, but when we got here.”
The All-Stars were coached by Kaizer Chiefs’ Jose Riveiro, who worked with multiple Premier Soccer League players for this Carling Cup final.
“I think the results and the performance today gives you answers of how he is as a coach,” added Khune.
“So, it shows quality as a coach, it shows how much he’s dedicated to the game. His winning mentality. I mean he assembled the team for two days, he managed to prepare us and people wrote us off.
“And the coach and the rest of the coaching staff deserve credit.”
