Phala is SuperSport’s hero
Midfielder downs former club Stars with extra-time stunner
THUSO PHALA was looking a little worse for wear as he came into the Orlando Stadium media conference room. “I’m cramping,” said the midfielder, his face contorting from the pain as he leaned against the wall to field questions from the media.
The cramps could not, however, keep away the smile off his face, Phala delighted at having scored the goal that delivered the Telkom Knockout trophy to SuperSport United at the weekend.
And then he took a naughty dig at his former teammates of Platinum Stars, the defending champions who Matsatsantsa trumped 3-2 in extra-time, thanks to his superb solo effort goal.
“They waited for me to leave and started winning trophies, so I owed it to them to take this one away,” he laughed.
Phala spent a significant part of his career at Stars, enjoying two spells at the club. He left them last season to join SuperSport and it was then that Dikwena won two trophies, including the Telkom Knockout.
And while it gave him pleasure to break the hearts of Stars, Phala admitted to still having a soft spot for the club that gave him his first taste of the game at a professional level.
“I wouldn’t say they raised me, but they gave me a platform from which to showcase myself. And when things were not going well in my career they allowed me back. And I went to the national squad when I was playing for them,” Phala said in relation to his second spell at the club.
Having turned professional at Siver Stars, Phala quickly established himself as a top player who was swiftly snapped up by Kaizer Chiefs before he joined Mamelodi Sundowns.
He later rejoined Stars, who’d become Platinum, and played for his boyhood club until last season.
“I went and told the guys (Platinum Stars players) that I might have taken away their trophy but I love them. They are very dear to my heart, but I am with SuperSport now and I had to do what is of benefit to them.”
And he did, in a very special way – Phala scoring a gem of a goal that saw him beat two defenders before slotting home past goalkeeper Siyabonga Mpontshane.
He tried to play down the goal. “As an attacking player I took my chance after the ball bounced right for me,” he said “I was lucky.”
No sooner had the word lucky come out of his mouth than the newshounds were simultaneously correcting him.
He unwillingly relented: “They say luck is when preparation meets opportunity and I did well to beat Tshepo Gumede before scoring.
“But it was a very good team effort this. We prepared for them. We knew they would difficult to beat.
“And luckily we equalised in the first half after they took the lead.”
Phala’s winner added to the two strikes scored by Clayton Daniels from the penalty spot from the same end of the field – one in the first half the other in the opening stanza of extra-time.
Robert Ng’ambi had given Stars the lead and Mogakolodi Ngele cancelled out Daniels second spot kick only for Eleazor Rogers to fluff a golden opportunity to give Dikwena the lead when he had his penalty saved by Ronwen Williams.
The lanky striker also could not beat the SuperSport goalkeeper with the rebound.
The miss left the game open and Phala sealed it for SuperSport with his brilliant strike.