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10 February 2020
There has arguably been no bigger shock in the history of the Nedbank Cup than Vaal University of Technology's (VUT) stunning penalty shoot-out victory over Lamontville Golden Arrows on Saturday. There have been more emphatic scorelines - Maluti FET College humbled Orlando Pirates 4-1 in 2013, Kaizer Chiefs were ousted 2-1 by then third-tier Baroka FC in 2011. But never before has a fourth-tier side beaten an opponent from the Premier League and that special honour will forever lie with VUT.
Their match finished 2-2 after they managed a late equalizer, sending the game to extra-time and then penalties. For VUT coach Stanley Nkoane is it undoubtedly the biggest moment of his career and a testament to the power of the Nedbank Cup to provide magical moments that will be talked about for years to come. Nkoane says he will not get carried away by the victory, as he awaits his next opponents in Monday night’s Nedbank Cup Last 16 draw. "I am humble after the win and we are still grounded," he told Sowetan. "We don't want to get over-excited because there is still a long way to go.
"We will see who we get in the draw and prepare appropriately. It was a good win for us but we have to remain focused." Nkoane says the victory was down to good planning and having a game-plan for all scenarios. "After the draw, I attended a few of their games and studied how they play. Their approach against Polokwane City was different to the way they played against Kaizer Chiefs. I looked at how they attack and how they defend.
"I knew that we cannot match them for experience or pound for pound because they are a professional club. "l believed in my players and the work we have been doing. We planned well for them and on the day it worked out for us. We frustrated them and did not allow them to get the spaces they wanted." VUT will be one of a record four sides from the SAFA structures in the Last 16 draw, along with ABC Motsepe League teams: Amavarara and Hungry Lions, and the winner between Zizwe United and Happy Wanderers on Tuesday night. The previous highest number of amateur clubs in the second round was two.
*The views represented are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent those of Nedbank.