Civics grab spot in FNB Cup semis

CIVICS posted a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Oshakati City yesterday to elevate themselves into the FNB Cup semi-finals, in a match played at the Legare Stadium in Gobabis.

The other match set to determine the fourth semi-final entrant for the lucrative competition took place between Ramblers and FNB Cup defending champions Blue Waters, and the final result was not available as the match was still in progress at the time of going to press. The half-time score was 0-0.Civics have now joined African Stars and Black Africa, who qualified for the semi-finals of the competition after their wins in Group A quarter-final matches played at Mariental a week ago.On Saturday, Civics brushed aside a hapless Mighty Gunners side 4-1 in their opening match, but were given a run for their money by Oshakati City yesterday, who on Saturday upset favourites Orlando Pirates 1-0.Blue Waters taught their cross-town rivals Eleven Arrows a lesson in executing the basics by punishing them 3-2 in their derby on the first day of the tournament.Civics on Saturday scored impressive goals through Floris Diergaardt, Geoffrey Roman, William Chilufya and Rudi Louw.Roman, who turned out for lower division side Dattenfield in Germany, showed his experience in the one-sided affair, which saw Chilufya neatly putting away a penalty, while Louw scored through a brilliant strike from the edge of the box.Ramblers beat Robber Chanties 2-0 with Bernadine Mbilizi and Loliepop Awaseb being on target in the last match of the day on Saturday.Pirates had themselves to blame for the loss on Saturday as strikers Edian Beukes, and Saul Coetzee struck well off target in many of their attempts at goal.Pirates midfielders Klaas Blom, Wesley Kinda and Riaan Cloete had a torrid time in keeping up with their counterparts, as their passes were cut short before reaching their strikers at crucial stages of the game.Pirates, who were the obvious favourites to go through, found themselves on the wrong end of the stick as they were fairly surprised by the loss, with several fans not even bothering to stay on for the remaining matches on the day.Some described the loss as a shame for a team which boasts with some of the finest players in the domestic league.Pirates fired blanks almost every third minute and could have been at least 3-0 up in the first half.Veteran Oshakati City striker Kaskas Angula, scored the decisive goal deep into the second half to give his side a well-deserved victory, after a sterling job by especially his defenders, while their goalkeeper Melkizedek Shiku was in outstanding form.The event was graced by the entire Namibia Football Association (NFA) leadership, while Brave Warriors coach Ben Bamfuchile was one of the many who witnessed the matches which were overall played in a good, but in a competitive spirit.The half-time score was 0-0.Civics have now joined African Stars and Black Africa, who qualified for the semi-finals of the competition after their wins in Group A quarter-final matches played at Mariental a week ago.On Saturday, Civics brushed aside a hapless Mighty Gunners side 4-1 in their opening match, but were given a run for their money by Oshakati City yesterday, who on Saturday upset favourites Orlando Pirates 1-0.Blue Waters taught their cross-town rivals Eleven Arrows a lesson in executing the basics by punishing them 3-2 in their derby on the first day of the tournament.Civics on Saturday scored impressive goals through Floris Diergaardt, Geoffrey Roman, William Chilufya and Rudi Louw.Roman, who turned out for lower division side Dattenfield in Germany, showed his experience in the one-sided affair, which saw Chilufya neatly putting away a penalty, while Louw scored through a brilliant strike from the edge of the box.Ramblers beat Robber Chanties 2-0 with Bernadine Mbilizi and Loliepop Awaseb being on target in the last match of the day on Saturday.Pirates had themselves to blame for the loss on Saturday as strikers Edian Beukes, and Saul Coetzee struck well off target in many of their attempts at goal.Pirates midfielders Klaas Blom, Wesley Kinda and Riaan Cloete had a torrid time in keeping up with their counterparts, as their passes were cut short before reaching their strikers at crucial stages of the game.Pirates, who were the obvious favourites to go through, found themselves on the wrong end of the stick as they were fairly surprised by the loss, with several fans not even bothering to stay on for the remaining matches on the day.Some described the loss as a shame for a team which boasts with some of the finest players in the domestic league.Pirates fired blanks almost every third minute and could have been at least 3-0 up in the first half.Veteran Oshakati City striker Kaskas Angula, scored the decisive goal deep into the second half to give his side a well-deserved victory, after a sterling job by especially his defenders, while their goalkeeper Melkizedek Shiku was in outstanding form.The event was graced by the entire Namibia Football Association (NFA) leadership, while Brave Warriors coach Ben Bamfuchile was one of the many who witnessed the matches which were overall played in a good, but in a competitive spirit.