City, SKW into MTC Cup semis

LEAGUE strugglers Oshakati City and SKW made surprising entries into the quarter-finals of the MTC Cup at the weekend.

SKW shocked Eleven Arrows 2-1 in the first match of the last eight played at the Oshakati Stadium on Saturday, while Oshakati City made Blue Waters look ordinary with their 2-0 win at the same venue. Civics suffered a 5-4 defeat on penalties after a 1-1 draw against Orlando Pirates, while Ramblers booked themselves a spot in the semis with a 2-1 defeat against Chief Santos.SKW’s Frans van Wyk opened the scoring for his side, before Henry Somseb finished the business for the Pionierspark side to give them a second chance to the final in a major cup competition this year.SKW failed to make it to the final of the FNB Cup earlier this year after being downed by African Stars in the semi-finals, but will now have an opportunity to chase yet another title.For Oshakati City, prolific striker Tangeni Hishidimbwa scored two goals in the first half and they decided to close all channels leading into their half until the final whistle.The two sides, which are currently not doing well in the league, will now meet in the semi-finals that will be played at Walvis Bay this weekend.Ramblers meet Pirates in the other semi-final.Civics veteran midfielder Congo Hindjou failed to convert a penalty which gave Pirates the win in the end, while Samson John and Bernard Mbilizi struck for Ramblers in their victory over Santos.SKW coach Richard Starke said the win gave his players more motivation to lift themselves up from the bottom of the league and they are looking forward to landing a place in the final.He said the team played well and could have scored more goals on the day, but a win was good enough.”We want to go all out in the semis.At the moment, the spirit is good and I hope this can carry us through to the final,” he said.SKW were promoted to the premiership this season and have been struggling to get maximum points in most of their matches, but have a knack for doing well in cup competitions.Oshakati City will be hoping to beat SKW, as they have never won a cup competition since entering the league two seasons ago.SKW, like Oshakati City, have also not won any major cup competition.Civics, on their part, will now concentrate on the league title.The side had a busy schedule this season, as they competed in the African Champions League while their domestic duties also took their toll on them.Civics played four matches in the Champions League and the demanding cup competitions and the league kept its players working hard.Civics, along with the other teams not involved in the cup competition, will now take a break for at least a week before preparing for their remaining league matches.Ramblers, who are seriously in the hunt for the league title, will be going into the semi-finals with the hope that they will go through and lift the trophy.A win in the final will be a bonus to close off the season, provided that Civics win the league.Pirates will be the least favourites to win their encounter against Ramblers, judging from their current form in the league.Despite that, the ‘Buccaneers’ have what it takes to be finalists and this will depend on their sense of urgency in capitalising on the mistakes by Ramblers.The kick-off times of the semi-finals have not been announced yet.Civics suffered a 5-4 defeat on penalties after a 1-1 draw against Orlando Pirates, while Ramblers booked themselves a spot in the semis with a 2-1 defeat against Chief Santos.SKW’s Frans van Wyk opened the scoring for his side, before Henry Somseb finished the business for the Pionierspark side to give them a second chance to the final in a major cup competition this year.SKW failed to make it to the final of the FNB Cup earlier this year after being downed by African Stars in the semi-finals, but will now have an opportunity to chase yet another title.For Oshakati City, prolific striker Tangeni Hishidimbwa scored two goals in the first half and they decided to close all channels leading into their half until the final whistle.The two sides, which are currently not doing well in the league, will now meet in the semi-finals that will be played at Walvis Bay this weekend.Ramblers meet Pirates in the other semi-final.Civics veteran midfielder Congo Hindjou failed to convert a penalty which gave Pirates the win in the end, while Samson John and Bernard Mbilizi struck for Ramblers in their victory over Santos.SKW coach Richard Starke said the win gave his players more motivation to lift themselves up from the bottom of the league and they are looking forward to landing a place in the final.He said the team played well and could have scored more goals on the day, but a win was good enough.”We want to go all out in the semis.At the moment, the spirit is good and I hope this can carry us through to the final,” he said.SKW were promoted to the premiership this season and have been struggling to get maximum points in most of their matches, but have a knack for doing well in cup competitions.Oshakati City will be hoping to beat SKW, as they have never won a cup competition since entering the league two seasons ago.SKW, like Oshakati City, have also not won any major cup competition.Civics, on their part, will now concentrate on the league title.The side had a busy schedule this season, as they competed in the African Champions League while their domestic duties also took their toll on them.Civics played four matches in the Champions League and the demanding cup competitions and the league kept its players working hard.Civics, along with the other teams not involved in the cup competition, will now take a break for at least a week before preparing for their remaining league matches.Ramblers, who are seriously in the hunt for the league title, will be going into the semi-finals with the hope that they will go through and lift the trophy.A win in the final will be a bonus to close off the season, provided that Civics win the league.Pirates will be the least favourites to win their encounter against Ramblers, judging from their current form in the league.Despite that, the ‘Buccaneers’ have what it takes to be finalists and this will depend on their sense of urgency in capitalising on the mistakes by Ramblers.The kick-off times of the semi-finals have not been announced yet.