Johannesburg – When SuperSport United needed him the most, like a one-man wrecking crew Thuso Phala contributed a penalty and a winning wonder goal as Matsatsantsa powered to the Telkom Knockout championship.
With the clock winding down in extra-time, a dramatic Phala side-footer clinched the title for United when they trumped Platinum Stars 3-2 in the final at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday.
“I just found myself in the box and I put my head down, took the chance and the rest is history,” Phala said after the game.
“We play good football as a team and we are enjoying ourselves at the moment, which can be seen on the pitch.”
Extra-time was required in what was an action-packed final that saw three penalties awarded and scoring opportunities aplenty.
The pulsating encounter could have been won by either side as was the case when Stars’ Eleazar Rodgers missed a penalty before the winning goal with the scoreline at 2-2.
United keeper Ronwen Williams made an incredible double-save to deny the striker.
Captain-fantastic, Clayton Daniels, converted two penalties for United during his man-of-the-match performance, while Robert Ng’ambi and Mogakolodi Ngele found the back of the net for Dikwena.
With the showdown seemingly headed to a dreaded penalty shootout, Phala blitzed through his former teammates with a rip-roaring run in the 111th minute to secure the R4.25 million championship.
“It’s a team that I love, that I hold dear to my heart. I owe a lot to Platinum Stars in my career. I play for SuperSport now and I had a job to do for my team.”
United were making a return to the stadium where they won their last piece of silverware, in 2012, when they beat city rivals Mamelodi Sundowns 2-0 to win the Nedbank Cup.
A lively and exciting encounter ensued in the heart of Soweto, with both offence-minded teams looking for goals.
United coach Gordon Igesund brought quick success to the club, less than three months since taking over from Cavin Johnson.
Phala hailed the impact Igesund, the former Bafana Bafana boss, has had on the team in the short space of time.
“It’s easy when you play for a coach who believes in you. One advantage with our team is that we have lots of goals in us. We have proved goal-scorers and attacking players in the squad.”
Despite putting on a valiant performance, Dikwena fell short of defending the title they won last season.
Coach Allan Freese said his players were outstanding and praised them for their fighting spirit.
“I don’t know how I am going to console those guys. They showed courage, they had the heart to win but in the end it wasn’t meant to be,” Freese said.
“It was a good game of football between both teams who came out with an all-out attack. Either side could have won it unfortunately for us it was our opponents.”
Both teams put on a master-class performance but it was Phala’s exhilarating strike that stole the show, in what was one of the more captivating finals in recent memory. – Sapa