Magesi FC seek upset triumph in Carling Knockout
Yesterday at 06:00 AM
Magesi FC will seek an upset triumph over Mamelodi Sundowns in the final of South Africa's League Cup, the Carling Knockout, when the teams meet at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Saturday 23 November 2024, kick-off at 18h00 CAT.
Magesi – who are chasing their first major trophy – earned their place in the final by seeing off Orlando Pirates (3-2), TS Galaxy (1-0) and Richards Bay (1-0).
Sundowns – who have won the last seven league titles in succession and are looking to lift the league Cup for a fifth time – defeated Golden Arrows (5-0), Kaizer Chiefs (4-0) and Marumo Gallants (2-0) in their impressive march to the final.
The Brazilians are the overwhelming favourites, but Clinton Larsen, coach of Dikwena tsa Meetse, famously oversaw a surprise triumph for Bloemfontein Celtic over Sundowns in the final of this very competition back in 2012 and is hopeful of a repeat.
The veteran tactician does, however, admit that his team will need to grasp their scoring chances to have a shot at winning.
"You know, even though it might seem like 'Mission Impossible', and maybe me being Tom Cruise, you go into this encounter thinking Sundowns beat Golden Arrows 5-0 in the round of 16, in the quarterfinals they beat Kaizer Chiefs 4-0, and in the semis, they beat Marumo Gallants 2-0. So, you might be thinking Magesi stands no chance of beating Sundowns," said the 53-year-old.
"But the positives we can take out of that are the fact that every one of those teams created chances against Mamelodi Sundowns. When you play them, the only difference is whether you take those chances or not, because you will get chances."
Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi, meanwhile, has been left frustrated by the scheduling of the final, arguing that a match of such importance should not take place directly after an international break.
"I don't think the area [time] where the final is put is fair to anyone. Not immediately after the FIFA break, but sometimes you must just accept whatever comes because I think where we are playing Sekhukhune United [the following Saturday, 30 November, in the league], we could have played the final there and it would have been better," said the Brazilians boss.
"Maybe you could still have a league match on that weekend, but not immediately after the FIFA break when we have got so many players that are in national teams. But what can we do? We have to go with what we have and we must accept that burdens and blessings always go together."
In head-to-head terms, this will be a first-ever meeting of Magesi FC and Mamelodi Sundowns. The former club was only promoted to the top-flight Betway Premiership earlier in 2024, and the teams have yet to cross paths in the 2024-25 league season, while they have also not faced each other in the Nedbank Cup.
