Stars, Civics reach FNB Cup final

AFRICAN Stars and Civics carved their way into the FNB Cup final with victories over Black Africa and Blue Waters at the Independence Stadium on Saturday.

Stars managed to squeeze their way past Black Africa, winning 6-5 on penalties after a one-all draw after 90 minutes in the first semi-final match, while Civics handed themselves a passage to the lucrative competition in a 2-0 win in the second semi-final match. Despite the wins, the day was marred by the tragic incident which saw Blue Waters defender Bullet Geingob being hospitalised after he suffered a fractured skull, while his teammate Getzen Ndjiharine also landed in hospital after suffering a concussion.Geingob is still in critical condition, while Ndjiharine was released later on the same day after the match.Both injuries resulted from collisions among the players during the run of play.The win for Stars will be their second-ever final in the competition after they played Blue Waters in last year’s final match, which they lost in the end.Stars are hoping to get their first cup win in close to ten years, while Civics intend to make a clean sweep in all competitions, as well as retain the league title.Stars opened their scoring first in the 20th minute through their hitman Gerson Katjatenja, who rose above his opponents to beat BA goalkeeper Arnold Subeb with a well-timed header.The tall Katjatenja, who will be celebrating his 25th birthday on Friday before the final, is a promising striker and constantly kept the BA defence in check with his incisive runs into gaps and sudden shots at goal.It was in the last quarter of the match that Black Africa pulled an equaliser after the unpredictable Jerome Louis found himself at the right spot to blast away a spilled ball by Stars goalkeeper Pakie Kongoro.The match was not as exciting as expected, but the penalty shootout ignited the fans to cheer for their respective teams, resulting in brilliantly taken penalty shots coming from the players of both teams.Stars defender Andrew Tjahikika missed his shot after the teams were tied at 2 all, but that score line stayed on the board after BA’s Elvis Kauahama also failed with his attempt.It was a painful exit for BA, who dominated the domestic cup scene about a season ago, but it was more disappointing for their stocky striker, Donovan Swartz, who hit the crossbar to hand Stars the win during the sudden-death stage of the penalty spots.It was a monumental victory for Stars over their Katutura rivals after being on the receiving end in both the league and cup competitions for years.For Stars, Freedom Puriza provided useful crosses from the left flank to his strikers, while defenders Mali Ngarizemo, Steven Tjeenao and Tjahikika were once again consistent in their performance as they were unwavering at the back.Black Africa were mostly kept in the game through the experienced Subeb in goal and defenders Moses Katjiteo and Sedekia Haukambe, as most of their strikers were lightweights and rarely made an impact on the day.For Civics, Rudi Louw was once again in outstanding form as he scored both goals for his team, which from the first whistle showed urgency in winning the match.Louw struck the first goal from a stray ball in front of goal in the first half, but his second goal was classic in the next half.Louw, who constantly tormented the Blue Waters defence with his fast dribbling and perfect passes, received a sweet cross from Floris Diergaardt who launched a counter-attack which in the end proved valuable.After receiving the pass, Louw dribbled his way around two defenders while at full pace and unleashed a top-deck grass-cutter that found the back of the bottom corner of the goal.The goal by Louw further contributed to the low morale of the Blue Waters players who were still reeling from the shock of their teammate Geingob.Civics defender Franklin April was red-carded after a second bookable offence, while Ndjiharine became the second player to be taken to hospital after a lengthy break of about 15 minutes as the medics tried to stabilise him.In total, the match was delayed by at least 20 minutes for both incidents.Blue Waters coach Shepherd Murape said his players were not settled and felt demoralised after the Geingob incident.”I could read from their body language that they are not motivated as they were because of that incident.It is very unfortunate that it happened and I dearly wish that both recover well,” he said.The final will be played at the Independence Stadium on December 16.Despite the wins, the day was marred by the tragic incident which saw Blue Waters defender Bullet Geingob being hospitalised after he suffered a fractured skull, while his teammate Getzen Ndjiharine also landed in hospital after suffering a concussion.Geingob is still in critical condition, while Ndjiharine was released later on the same day after the match.Both injuries resulted from collisions among the players during the run of play.The win for Stars will be their second-ever final in the competition after they played Blue Waters in last year’s final match, which they lost in the end.Stars are hoping to get their first cup win in close to ten years, while Civics intend to make a clean sweep in all competitions, as well as retain the league title.Stars opened their scoring first in the 20th minute through their hitman Gerson Katjatenja, who rose above his opponents to beat BA goalkeeper Arnold Subeb with a well-timed header.The tall Katjatenja, who will be celebrating his 25th birthday on Friday before the final, is a promising striker and constantly kept the BA defence in check with his incisive runs into gaps and sudden shots at goal. It was in the last quarter of the match that Black Africa pulled an equaliser after the unpredictable Jerome Louis found himself at the right spot to blast away a spilled ball by Stars goalkeeper Pakie Kongoro.The match was not as exciting as expected, but the penalty shootout ignited the fans to cheer for their respective teams, resulting in brilliantly taken penalty shots coming from the players of both teams.Stars defender Andrew Tjahikika missed his shot after the teams were tied at 2 all, but that score line stayed on the board after BA’s Elvis Kauahama also failed with his attempt.It was a painful exit for BA, who dominated the domestic cup scene about a season ago, but it was more disappointing for their stocky striker, Donovan Swartz, who hit the crossbar to hand Stars the win during the sudden-death stage of the penalty spots.It was a monumental victory for Stars over their Katutura rivals after being on the receiving end in both the league and cup competitions for years.For Stars, Freedom Puriza provided useful crosses from the left flank to his strikers, while defenders Mali Ngarizemo, Steven Tjeenao and Tjahikika were once again consistent in their performance as they were unwavering at the back.Black Africa were mostly kept in the game through the experienced Subeb in goal and defenders Moses Katjiteo and Sedekia Haukambe, as most of their strikers were lightweights and rarely made an impact on the day.For Civics, Rudi Louw was once again in outstanding form as he scored both goals for his team, which from the first whistle showed urgency in winning the match.Louw struck the first goal from a stray ball in front of goal in the first half, but his second goal was classic in the next half.Louw, who constantly tormented the Blue Waters defence with his fast dribbling and perfect passes, received a sweet cross from Floris Diergaardt who launched a counter-attack which in the end proved valuable.After receiving the pass, Louw dribbled his way around two defenders while at full pace and unleashed a top-deck grass-cutter that found the back of the bottom corner of the goal.The goal by Louw further contributed to the low morale of the Blue Waters players who were still reeling from the shock of their teammate Geingob.Civics defender Franklin April was red-carded after a second bookable offence, while Ndjiharine became the second player to be taken to hospital after a lengthy break of about 15 minutes as the medics tried to stabilise him.In total, the match was delayed by at least 20 minutes for both incidents.Blue Waters coach Shepherd Murape said his players were not settled and felt demoralised after the Geingob incident.”I could read from their body language that they are not motivated as they were because of that incident.It is very unfortunate that it happened and I dearly wish that both recover well,” he said.The final will be played at the Independence Stadium on December 16.