Stellenbosch FC produced a delightful performance against Lunda Sul in Angola on Sunday, but after hitting the woodwork thrice, it seemed they would come away empty-handed. However, the 23-year-old Devin Titus, a three-time Bafana Bafana cap, had other ideas.
A minute ahead of regulation time, he headed home the only goal of the match, crowning a historical win for Stellenbosch FC. After three CAF Confederation Cup matches, Stellenbosch recorded their first Champions League group stage win.
After the match, the victorious Stellenbosch coach Steve Barker was a highly relieved man, as defeat might have sounded the death knell for the Winelands visitors. A loss would have placed a Confederation Cup knock-off slot beyond their reach.
Barker was emotional after the match; the win had kept their knock-off hopes alive and would go down in the annals of the Winelands club.
"This win means so much to the players, the club, the fans and the people of South Africa," said Barker. "It was an important victory, and we learnt today that they (Lunda Sul) are a tough team."
He added, "They showed today they have the qualities to be successful. But we will meet them again in the return fixture. We know we cannot underestimate them."
Barker referred to the reverse tie against Lunda Sul, which is set to be played on Sunday, 5 January 2025, at the Cape Town Stadium.
Yesterday's homeward journey to Cape Town, Barker and his technical staff will be plotting strategies for tomorrow's game against Premiership pacesetters Mamelodi Sundowns at the Cape Town Stadium. Despite the continuous challenge of selling their best players every season, Stellenbosch has proven to be a rising force in the PSL. As a result, some fans have cheekily dubbed the team 'Wine and Shine', possibly a play on the more familiar nickname 'Rise and Shine', known for Polokwane City.
They won their first-ever silverware under Barker last season, and many now regard Stellies as a dark horse in the Betway Premiership title race. Stellenbosch is acutely aware that Sundowns have been a dominant force for the past decade. However, a few weeks ago, they achieved the impossible by winning back-to-back MTN8 matches against Sundowns.
This remarkable feat is likely to be noted by the new hierarchy at Loftus Versfeld, which made a winning start under Miguel Cardoso’s era on Sunday. At this stage, Cardoso will probably focus more on capturing the 'Big Fish' — the CAF Champions League title — a holy grail that has eluded them for a decade.