16 December 2008
Ajax Cape Town were crowned 2008 Telkom Knockout champions after a 2-1 victory over Orlando Pirates at a packed Chatsworth Stadium in Durban on Saturday night.
Despite entering the final as the team on top of the Premier Soccer League standings, Ajax Cape Town were regarded as slight underdogs to Orlando Pirates. However, the Urban Warriors underlined their status as potential league champions by beating the Buccaneers 2-1 to claim the Cup for the second time.
Ajax had previously won the competition in 2000, when it was still known as the Rothmans Cup. Pirates are one of South Africa’s most successful clubs but, incredibly, they have yet to win the knockout competition – which has also been known as the Coca-Cola Cup – in its 16 years of existence.
In the lead-up to the game, the teams met in the PSL in Johannesburg on 6 December, Ajax also won on that occasion.
Saturday’s victory was the first piece of silverware for coach Craig Rosslee, who led the Urban Warriors to a runner-up position in the PSL in 2007/08 – his first season in charge.
After his team’s title-winning victory, Rosslee paid tribute to his team’s mental toughness. Meanwhile, club chairman John Comitis said the Cup would also serve as motivation to his players to go after even more honours.
The win was worth R4.25-million for Ajax, made up of R4-million for winning the final and a participation fee of R250 000.
A sold-out crowd packed the neutral venue at the Chatsworth Stadium, hoping for a spectacle from a competition that had produced 41 goals in its previous 14 matches. It didn’t take long for the first goal to be scored.
Ajax surged onto the attack and immediately began asking questions of Pirates’ defence; clearly, the Urban Warriors were not going to stand back and wait for a mistake to be made by the Buccaneers, they were intent on creating an advantage.
Within the first minute, Mabhudi Khenyeza sent in a dangerous cross which caused flutters in the Pirates’ defence.
Ajax kept pressing and, with 10 minutes played, opened the scoring. Franklyn Cale broke clear down the left flank and drove in a cross to the centre of the goal mouth. Khenyeza got onto the end of it and knocked the ball past Pirates goalkeeper Moeneeb Josephs with the outside of his foot to put the Capetonians into a 1-0 lead.
The Urban Warriors weren’t satisfied with a one-goal lead and continued their assault on the Sea Robbers’ defences. They were soon rewarded.
From a short corner variation, Cale once again fired low into the box from the left and Pirates had problems dealing with the pacy cross.
Clayton Daniels gathered possession for Ajax and knocked the ball past Josephs and across the Pirates’ goal. Khenyeza got the final touch to score his second and put the Urban Warriors into a 2-0 lead after only 16 minutes.
Afterwards, Pirates’ coach Rudi Krol expressed his disappointment with the goal, saying he had shown his players all the Ajax variations from corners, so to concede a goal from something they had seen before was unacceptable.
Khenyeza, meanwhile, said coach Craig Rosslee had emphasised the first 15 minutes during Ajax’s preparations for the game. Obviously it worked out for the Urban Warriors, especially Khenyeza, who smiled broadly when questioned how it felt to be a winner.
Despite the deficit, Orlando Pirates showed character and fought back hard, taking the game to Ajax. After 25 minutes they came close to pulling a goal back when a header from midfielder Benson Mhlongo glanced off the cross bar.
Just past the half-four mark, the Buccaneers came even closer to opening their account. Winger Dikgang Mabalane sent Zimbabwean striker Gilbert Mushangazhike clear and his powerful shot rattled the crossbar and rebounded back into play.
Ajax came close to taking a three-goal lead when Sifiso Vilakazi was narrowly wide of the mark with a header, but it was Pirates who were doing the pressing and a shot by Teko Modise was answered with a good save by Ajax netminder Andre Petim.
After the break, Dipsy Sewlowane tested Josephs in the Pirates’ goal as Ajax looked for another fast start. The Buccaneers absorbed the early pressure and slowly took control of the game; Ajax coach Craig Rosslee admitted his side played a little too defensively and sat too deep after going two goals in front.
Mushangazhike blasted just over the bar for Pirates and then Mabalane found the upright from a sharp angle for the Buccaneers.
Finally, with 15 minutes remaining, Pirates found the back of the Ajax net. Modise and Mushangazhike combined to create an opportunity for substitute Siphelele Mthembu, who neatly netted with a low shot to reduce the deficit to 2-1.
Pirates kept pushing for an equaliser, but Ajax goalkeeper Petim and the defenders in front of him kept the Soweto giants at bay and when the final whistle sounded Ajax Cape Town were victors by two goals to one.
With the silverware won, Ajax coach Craig Rosslee paid tribute to the Urban Warriors’ goal scoring hero Mabhudi Khenyeza saying: “He’s a predator . he gets into the right areas, he’s a nuisance for the defenders.”
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