Ngobeni makes ExtraStrong Team of the Week after Nedbank Cup heroics

Free State Stars goalkeeper Thela Ngobeni in action during Saturday's win over Ubuntu Cape Town in the Nedbank Cup semi-finals. Photo: Chris Ricco/BackpagePix

Free State Stars goalkeeper Thela Ngobeni in action during Saturday's win over Ubuntu Cape Town in the Nedbank Cup semi-finals. Photo: Chris Ricco/BackpagePix

Published Apr 3, 2018

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JOHANNESBURG - The highly under-rated goalkeeper Thela Ngobeni makes it into our Team of the Week following a stellar performance in the Nedbank Cup quarterfinals at the weekend. 

Ngobeni, who is on loan at Free State Stars from Mamelodi Sundowns, helped his side progress to the semi-finals of the tournament because of his heroics against Ubuntu Cape Town at Athlone Stadium in normal time and when it came down the the lottery of penalties.

Ngobeni kept Stars in the game, despite having conceded early in the first half before Goodman Dlamini equalised on the stroke of half-time. His counterpart Malcolm Jacobs was also kept busy at the other end and it is due to the acrobatics of the two goalies that the game went to extra time and eventually had to be settled on spot kicks. 

Ngobeni saved two penalties and Stars emerged 5-3 winners and made it into the semifinals of the cup for the second time in three years.

Another player who impressed and deserves his intro into the Team of the Week is Cape Town City’s Surprise Rhalani, who was signed at the beginning of the year and has impressed in previous games.

He admitted soon after his Man of the Match award that his performance in the narrow 2-1 defeat to Sundowns in the quarterfinals on Sunday afternoon was his best in a City shirt since arriving from Sweden.

ExtraStrong Team of the Week

Goalkeeper: Thela Ngobeni (Free State Stars)

Rightback: Ramahlwe Mphahlele (Chiefs)

Leftback: Ronald Pfumbidzai (Bloemfontein Celtic)

Centreback: Daniel Cardoso (Chiefs), Siyanda Xulu (Maritzburg United)

Midfielder: Hlompho Kekana (Sundowns), Jesse Donn (Ubuntu Cape Town FC)

Leftwinger: Surprise Rhalani (Cape Town City)

Right-winger: Lebohang Maboe (Maritzburg United)

Striker: Andrea Fileccia (Maritzburg United), Percy Tau (Sundowns)

ExtraStrong

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