Bens advance while Northerns fall in Super Cup

Old Bens’ first team clinched a 3-1 extra-time win against Robertsham in the first round of the Easterns Super League Cup at Currin Park on April 23 to advance to quarter-finals of the competition.

In a tightly contested affair, the two teams produced some scintillating and end-to-end football to keep the fans entertained. Fabio de Freitas put Bens ahead with a free-kick before Robertsham grabbed the equaliser with 10 minutes left on the clock to send the game to extra-time.

Following some tactical changes in over time, Bens continued to exert pressure on their opponents. They grabbed the lead early on to take the game away from Robertsham.

Deep in extra-time, Bens added another goal to take the win and advance to the second stage of the competition.

Old Bens coach Mike Lee applauded his charges for sticking to the game plan. He also commended his substitutions for their impact from the bench.

“It was a very physical game. We made some substitutions and that seems to have done the trick in extra-time. We scored one early in extra-time and made it three right at the end,” Lee said.

The Bens’ reserve side lost to Robertsham reserves on penalties after playing to a pulsating four-all draw.

Also Read: Local clubs Old Bens, Benoni Northerns get off to winning starts as football season kicks-off

Not a good day for Northerns

It was bad day at the office for both the Benoni Northerns first and reserves teams as they were eliminated by Luso Africa.

The first team game was contested at a high tempo with both sides letting the football do the talking. It was a game of two halves as the game went into the half-time break with Northerns 2-1 up.

Luso came back the stronger side in the second stanza, dominating possession and play. The Germiston side eventually found the equaliser to send the game to extra-time. Neither side could find the winner and Luso won the resultant penalty shootout in sudden death to advance.

“We are disappointed with the result but very proud of our display against a very strong opponent. We take some learnings from the game and move on,” said Northerns coach Len van Rooyen.

The reserves lost their match 3-2 against Luso Africa’s reserves. Coach Alessandro Carli told the paper he is happy with how his charges played and that they need to be consistent.

“I felt the result was a tough one to take. In the first half, we created plenty of chance and could’ve scored more than two goals. However, the opposition kept their structure better in the second half and while we were pushing for the second goal, we left gaps and they managed to capitalise.”

Also Read: Benoni Northerns Football Club First XI vs Luso Africa, June 7