Magesi FC coach Clinton Larsen said his team enjoyed being written off ahead of their Carling Knockout Cup final against Mamelodi Sundowns. Magesi FC coach Clinton Larsen said his team enjoyed being written off ahead of their Carling Knockout Cup final against Mamelodi Sundowns. Picture: Supplied
Magesi FC coach Clinton Larsen’s favourite blue shirt was drench after his players decided to soak the coach with water following their shock Carling Knockout Cup final win over Mamelodi Sundowns.
But he wasn’t upset. Instead he had the biggest smile in Bloemfontein following his team’s 2-1 win in the final at the Free State Stadium after Magesi became the first newly-promoted team to win South Africa’s version of the League Cup.
Magesi produced a few giant-killing acts along the way to lifting the cup, beating Orlando Pirates in the first round, before producing an excellent second-half display to beat Sundowns in the final.
Shift counter attacking and upping the tempo in the second have been their secret to success in the cup and in the Betway Premiership this season.
⏪ 🅸![CDATA[]]>🅲![CDATA[]]>🆈![CDATA[]]>🅼![CDATA[]]>🅸 ⏪
— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) November 24, 2024
Magesi FC were crowned the 2024 #CarlingKnockout Champions following their 2⃣➖1⃣ victory over Mamelodi Sundowns!#SABCSportFootball pic.twitter.com/pTLWEykA0k
So much so that Magesi haven’t lost a match since going down to Polokwane City 2-0 on September to Polokwane City in a league fixture.
On Saturday, Magesi again soaked up the pressure and even went a goal down against before the halftime break. Man-of-the-Match, goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze, was also a busy man, having to make a few sharp saves in the first stanza.
But such is the belief in the players and the system that Larsen knew they would do the business.
"We knew that was the right approach. We had some very good chances on the break to catch them, it wasn't to be but I thought in the second half we had to come out really brave, play a little more and what's very, very rewarding and makes coaches really happy is when you work on something at training and it comes to fruition in the game,” Larsen said in a television interview after the match.
“The two goals were from the training ground and I'm so, so happy for the players for executing it. Once again, happy for our club, happy for the supporters but most importantly for this group of players.
“I've said it before, I'm so hard on them and sometimes I feel bad for it because I understand they are not the most talented group. So, I've gotta try as a coach to squeeze every bit of potential, every bit of energy out of them in order for us to be competitive and that's what they keep giving, week-in, week-out.
“Based on the second-half performance, it was a deserved two goals we scored and once again, Elvis had not as many saves to make as Richards Bay game but he dealt comfortably with what was thrown at him tonight. The players deserve all the credit for what they've achieved against all odds."
Larsen said being written off before the match was also a big motivation for his team.
🎙️ ℂ𝕆![CDATA[]]>𝔸ℂℍ'𝕊 ℝ𝔼![CDATA[]]>𝔸ℂ𝕋![CDATA[]]>𝕀![CDATA[]]>𝕆ℕ 🎙️
— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) November 23, 2024
🗣️ "𝙄 𝙟![CDATA[]]>𝙪![CDATA[]]>𝙨![CDATA[]]>𝙩 𝙬![CDATA[]]>𝙖![CDATA[]]>𝙣![CDATA[]]>𝙩 𝙩![CDATA[]]>𝙤 𝙜![CDATA[]]>𝙞![CDATA[]]>𝙫![CDATA[]]>𝙚 𝙥![CDATA[]]>𝙧![CDATA[]]>𝙖![CDATA[]]>𝙞![CDATA[]]>𝙨![CDATA[]]>𝙚 𝙩![CDATA[]]>𝙤 𝙩![CDATA[]]>𝙝![CDATA[]]>𝙚 𝙥![CDATA[]]>𝙡![CDATA[]]>𝙖![CDATA[]]>𝙮![CDATA[]]>𝙚![CDATA[]]>𝙧![CDATA[]]>𝙨"
Magesi FC coach Clinton Larsen following their victory in the #CarlingKnockout over Mamelodi Sundowns!#SABCSportFootball pic.twitter.com/i1jYovzNo9
Sundowns were the heavy favourites going into the match. But they seemed shell-shocked in the second half when Tshepo Kakora equalised after the break for Magesi, before Delano Abrahams bundled home the winner with his knee with three minutes from the end.
“Nobody gave us a chance and we did it,” Larsen said.
“If this was a fairytale story, this little team from Moletši, Polokwane, people were talking about 4, 5 or six nils today, but I was quietly confident that our team can be a lot more competitive than that.
“Going into the game, the first half, our intention was we knew we are gonna see 30 to 35% of the ball but our aim was to go into the break without conceding and that didn't happen.
“So, that was very disappointing, not going into the break level. The other two chances were strikes from outside the box, which is what we wanted."
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