Bucks Buccaneers have the quality to win the MTC Maris Cup, says head coach Woody Jacobs.
He believes his side have shown they can rise to the occasion, following their last-gasp 1-0 quarter-final victory over KK Palace at Oshakati Independence Stadium in Sunday’s late kick-off.
They next face Young African, who beat Ongos 1-0 in their last eight clash on Saturday, in the semi-finals after which African Stars or Unam await in the final.
Stars scored a 1-0 win over Mighty Gunners, while Unam beat Blue Waters 2-1 to reach the penultimate stage.
The semis will be contested at Mariental on 15 and 16 February, with the final showdown set for Windhoek on 1 March.
“I’m just happy that we can get to the semi-finals and we keep on dreaming,” Jacobs said after the electric match, which was decided by Gerland Kaengurora’s 92nd-minute winner. “We’ll keep on working hard and see if we can get this team, which we believe has the quality to surprise or beat anyone, over the finish line.
“Today they were not at their super best but I’m happy that they got the business done in the end,” Jacobs continued.
“It was hard. But if it was gonna be easy, then everyone would do it.
“I told the boys we need to dig deep; we’re playing on the home ground of KK Palace who are a formidable team. I’m really proud of how they stood up to the challenge.”
Bucks’ win owed much to the brilliance of Giovani Engelbrecht, a constant thorn for the Palace defence throughout the contest.
The tricky forward’s run and pinpoint cut-back from the right wing was neatly tucked away by a grateful Kaengurora as they ended KK Palace’s fairytale run in the cup.
“What a star he is and what a star he will be for Namibia and Bucks Buccaneers. He’s been great since he signed from Pirates,” Jacobs said of the youngster’s impact.
KK Palace head coach Anderson Phiri lamented his side’s misfortune, saying they would be headed to the semis had they been better on both ends of the pitch.
“That’s what happens when you don’t take your chances. In fact, we had more chances to score than them,” Phiri said.
“If you don’t score, your opponent will and that’s what happened. We also made that mistake at the end. We were thinking it would go to penalties and then we made that costly mistake.
“We have to go back to the drawing board and do more.”
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