Against all odds, Magesi FC has written itself in the history books of South African football by reaching the Carling Knockout Final.
Magesi FC reached the decider after defeating Richards Bay 1-0 at the King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday, 9 November 2024.
This is the second time in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) era – since 1996, that a newly promoted team has made the final of the League Cup, after Silver Stars in 2003.
To reach the final, Magesi FC had to play and win all the games away; Orlando Pirates (3-2) in Gauteng, TS Galaxy (1-0) in Mpumalanga and Richards Bay (1-0) in KwaZulu-Natal.
Magesi FC will face either Mamelodi Sundowns or Marumo Gallants on Saturday, 23 November 2024 at the Free State Stadium, with the champions set to pocket R6.6-million and the runner-up to take home R2.6-million.
The win against Richards Bay was not a walk in the park and rightly so, considering it was a semi-finals tie, with both teams desperate to reach the final.
Richards Bay dominated the opening exchanges, but Magesi FC capitalized on a defensive error to make it 1-0 through Tshepo Mashigo in the 27th minute.
On the other end, Man of the Match, Elvis Chipezeze, was called out in the 30th minute and made a good save to preserve the lead of Dikwena Tša Meetse.
Magesi FC led 1-0 at the interval.
Richards Bay, as expected, came out attacking in numbers in the second half and Chipezeze was a busy man, while the likes of Lehlogonolo Mokone were rock solid at the back.
In the end, Magesi FC prevailed and made the Blue Nation super proud.
Bloemfontein, here we come!!!
