SuperSport United head coach Gavin Hunt shared his thoughts following his team’s tough 2-1 extra-time victory against Cape Town Spurs in the Nedbank Cup Last 16 on Wednesday evening at Lucas Moripe Stadium.
The match saw SuperSport come from behind, after being down 1-0, to secure their place in the quarter-finals as the first team to advance. The Urban Warriors were led by assistant coach Vasilis Manousakis, with head coach Ernst Middendorp serving a one-match suspension following an accumulation of four yellow cards. Despite the absence of Middendorp, the Capetonians were competitive and showed resilience.
The Motsepe Foundation Championship outfit came out firing on all cylinders and opened the scoring within the first five minutes. Therlo Moosa’s impressive solo run saw him dazzle past the SuperSport defense to give Cape Town Spurs a 1-0 advantage.
However, SuperSport fought back and created several chances to equalize. In the 20th minute, Christian Saile squandered a golden opportunity to level the score. Shortly after, Aphiwe Baliti’s free-kick and Nyiko Mobbie’s header were both denied by Spurs goalkeeper Niel Boshoff, who was in fine form.
Matsatsantsa finally found their rhythm and just over half an hour of play, got the break through when centre-back Ime Okon scored to equalize for the hosts. The game remained level at 1-1, forcing the match into extra time. With the clock ticking down in the 119th minute, SuperSport’s Lebohang Maboe found the back of the net, securing his first goal for the club and ensuring the 2-1 win.
Coach Gavin Hunt was quick to praise the performance of Cape Town Spurs, acknowledging the experience and quality in their squad. He highlighted several players who made an impact, including Liam Bern, Luke Baartman, Moosa, Khaya Mfecane, Nazeer Allie, and Mervin Boji – all of whom possess considerable experience in top-flight football.
“Good performance again, going a goal down and fighting… They got a lot of experience on their side, they got a lot of guys that played a lot of football, a lot of them played for me,” Hunt told broadcast giants SuperSport after the fixture.
“They settled in and made it difficult for us. The turnover is obviously going to be important for them, and we handled it very well.
“There were one or two key moments that were scary, but we had a lot of opportunities around the box. We got to be a little bit better, but we got through; that’s the main thing, we got a little bit of momentum.”
The victory sees SuperSport United progress to the Nedbank Cup quarter-finals, and Hunt will be hoping his team can build on this win as they continue their cup journey.
SuperSport will be up against Kaizer Chiefs in the Betway Premiership, as Gavin Hunt comes up against his former employers. Kick off at the FNB Stadium is set for 19:30 on Tuesday, 18 February 2025.