Sandile Mthethwa heads in one of his three goals for AmaZulu against Mighty Eagles. Photo: Sibonelo Ngcobo Independent Media
AmaZulu co-coach Vusumuzi Vilakazi said that ambitions to play continental football will fuel his team’s Nedbank Cup journey. Usuthu kicked off their Ke Yona Cup campaign with a thumping 5-1 victory over ABC Motsepe side Mighty Eagles on Tuesday.
The KwaZulu-Natal outfit joined fellow provincial counterparts Durban City in the round of 16. While the Royal AM-Milford fixture remains in limbo, and with Golden Arrows and Richards Bay eliminated, Usuthu remain the most realistic chance of breaking a 16-year trophy for KZN.
FULL-TIME ⏰ | #NedbankCup 🏆
— AmaZulu FC (@AmaZuluFootball) January 28, 2025
Through to the last 16 of the Nedbank Cup.#AmaZuluFC 5⃣ ➖ 1⃣ Mighty Eagles#Isagila #HebeUsuthu #UsuthuTogether pic.twitter.com/aEztE5VWJA
Usuthu also harbour ambitions of breaking their own silverware hoodoo, one that has stretched over three decades.
The club last won a cup in 1992, when the late Clive Barker led the team to a famous 3-1 victory over Kaizer Chiefs in the Coca-Cola Cup final at FNB Stadium. Since then, AmaZulu have lost in two finals – to Wits in the Nedbank Cup in 2009-10, and 2022’s defeat to Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 at Moses Mabhida Stadium.
In the 2021/2022 season under former coach Benni McCarthy, Usuthu reached the CAF Champions League group stages.
If they were to lift the Nedbank Cup, they would compete in the second tier of continental competition, the CAF Confederation Cup. Speaking to the media after the game in Umlazi, Vilakazi said that he and his team are welcoming the responsibility to claim silverware this season, with an eye on next season’s goals.
What! 😱
— Eggs Benedict Ngwenya (@EggsBenedictZA) January 28, 2025
Former Pirates ☠️ defender Sandile Mthethwa just scored a hat-trick on his AmaZulu debut 😳
“We’re taking this cup very seriously. As coaches, we’re very ambitious, and the team as well want to achieve something better for the club,” he said.
“With this cup specifically, there are two chances – you win the cup, and you also participate in Africa – so we really want to go strong.
“The sky is the limit. This is football, and if you challenge very hard, then you might find yourself victorious – so we will challenge seriously in this cup.”
This particular result will serve as a huge relief for Usuthu, who return to Premiership action next looking to avoid back-to-back losses. Vilakazi watched on last week as Stellenbosch FC ransacked his side and put five past them, throwing their top-eight ambitions into question.
Next on the agenda is SuperSport United at home tomorrow.
🐍🟢⚪️ The Man of the Match award goes to the hat trick hero. Great job Sandile Mthethwa! 👏🏾#NedbankCup #HebeUsuthu #UsuthuTogether pic.twitter.com/zTu2v8XKg1
— AmaZulu FC (@AmaZuluFootball) January 28, 2025
Vilakazi expressed how much of a psychological influence their cup result would have in rebuilding his team’s morale.
“We are very happy with this result because we were looking to bounce back after being beaten 5-0 by Stellies, so we wanted to boost our confidence ahead of our game against SuperSport,” he said.
Whilst defender Sandile Mthethwa scored three of their five goals on the night, the likes of top scorer Etiosa Ighodaro and Mlondi Mbanjwa also got their names on the score-sheet.
“We were happy with the goals that we scored, because our team had been struggling with converting chances that we created,” Vilakazi said. | Independent Media Sport