EThekwini’s futsal champions keep delivering
ETHEKWINI City futsal team achieved the double at the weekend when they added the Safa National KO Cup to the League Cup.
Having won the National Futsal League unbeaten late last year, hopes were high that they would take this form into the KO Cup which took place on Friday and Saturday at the UKZN (Westville campus) Sports Centre..
After some intense matches on Friday, eThekwini managed to hold onto their unbeaten status, including beating last year’s cup holders Young Natalians in the round robin stages of the tournament.
Heading into Saturday’s knock out stages both eThekwini and Young Natalians emerged the strongest teams and they both progressed to the final – a repeat of last year’s proceedings which Natalians won.
However, eThekwini were out to exact revenge for last year’s loss and set about their task with grit and determination.
eThekwini started the match at a cracking pace and were twonil up after 10 minutes.
The second half started much the same as the first and eThekwini were four goals to the good with eight minutes to play. That was when coach Chris Naidoo decided to give every player a run around to get a taste of playing in a national tournament.
“This move almost backfired on us as the number of changes we made upset the rhythm of the team and Young Natalians saw an opportunity to claw their way back into the game,” said Naidoo.
There was a renewed sense of belief among the Natalians squad who managed to score three quick goals. With the match on a knife edge, eThekwini’s Duane Gordon brought relief to the local team’s supporters when he netted the winner to make the final score 5-3. Gordon was also top goal scorer at the tournament.
Said Naidoo: “This win is proof that we are undoubtedly the best futsal team in the country, having won the league undefeated, and now the cup in a similar fashion. This is a record that will be hard to beat.”
Naidoo added that they would love to pit themselves against international opposition.
“Spain and Brazil have invited eThekwini City to participate in international tournaments there. However, as much as we would love the opportunity to play there, the lack of sponsorship makes this dream impossible for us to achieve.”