Manqoba Mngqithi praises Golden Arrows’ resilience after edging Gavin Hunt’s Stellenbosch in Nedbank Cup

Golden Arrows coach Manqoba Mngqithi praised his side’s resilience and fitness after they weathered early pressure to edge Stellenbosch FC 1-0 in Saturday night’s Nedbank Cup clash and reach the quarter-finals.

Arrows spent long spells under intense pressure at King Zwelithini Stadium, with Stellenbosch dominating possession and carving out openings, particularly in a one-sided first half. But Mngqithi revealed his side had anticipated that.

“It was a very difficult match against a good team. Their front three was very deadly,” he said in a post-match interview.

“We had to contain them and not rush because we believed we might have more legs than them. If you play the long game, you might get something. And indeed, second half they were a little bit open, and they started to give us a little bit of opportunities.”

As Stellenbosch continued to push – and were left aggrieved when a strong handball appeal in the box was waved away – Arrows grew into the contest. The home team began to find space, and when their moment arrived, they seized it, with Angelo van Rooi netting what proved to be the decisive goal.

Mngqithi felt the match was always likely to hinge on a single incident. 

"I think Stellenbosch started very strong. In the first 10 to 15 minutes they already had four corner kicks, which is their main strength. We were a little timid in the midfield and that made our buildups slow," he said.

"They gained momentum and first half from those set-pieces they could have punished us, but fortunately no clear-cut chances were created from those set-pieces.

"Second half we started strong and overloaded their left side and the midfield became a little bit open. We gained momentum and scored a very good goal, but it was a tight contest." 

While Arrows celebrated their progress, Stellenbosch coach Gavin Hunt cut a frustrated figure, adamant his side had been the better team.

“They were totally outplayed. It should have been 5-0,” Hunt said. “We were fantastic, dominant with the ball, technically brilliant. I can’t fault the performance.”

Arrows will now join fellow KZN Betway Premiership rivals Durban City and AmaZulu in the draw for the last eight.