Rayners has Stellies dreaming big in Carling Knockout
'I told the boys to send me the balls, that I would be in the box,' said Rayners.
Iqraam Rayners of Stellenbosch FC celebrates goal with teammates during the Carling Knockout, quarter final match against Polokwane City at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Friday. Photo: Philip Maeta/Gallo Images
Iqraam Rayners of Stellenbosch FC has every reason to dream of making it to the Carling Knockout Cup final, especially after their convincing performance against Polokwane City.
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They secured a 2-1 victory at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Friday night, with Rainers and Devon Titus getting on the scoresheet.
Notably, the Polokwane City they defeated had trounced SuperSport United 4-1 in the first round of the tournament. This speaks volumes about Stellenbosch’s impressive win.
After the game, where he was recognized as the Player of the Match, Rayners expressed his team’s determination.
He mentioned that they’ve come close to winning the cup on several occasions, and now they’re hungry to claim the ultimate victory.
Solid performance from Stellies
Stellenbosch’s solid performance in this match suggests that they are genuine contenders in the competition and have their sights set on the Carling Knockout Cup final.
“I want to thank God. We knew it wouldn’t be easy to come here, but I told the boys that we have to put pressure on them,” said the Cape club’s all-time leading goal scorer.
“I told them that we have to pressure them and see how they will do. In the first 15 minutes we were able to score two goals to win the game,” added Rayners.
When asked about his goal, which was the one that seemed to shake Polokwane, Rayners said that he had told his teammates that he would not do anything else, but would wait for the pass and hit the net.
Stellies now sitting pretty
“I told the boys to send me the balls, that I would be in the box. So, it went from Jayden (Adams), to Devon Titus, back to Jayden who then passed it to me, and I just hit it first time.
“Yeah, I’m happy to score a goal and that we have progressed to the semifinals.”
“For us, we have been fighting for the cup for a long time. We will take it one game ata time.
“In the next one, we will try to fight to advance to the final.”
Stellies will now be waiting to see who joins them in the draw for the next round. The three other teams to join them will be determined after Saturday’s games.
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Orlando Pirates, who are expected to win the cup, Golden Arrows, AmaZulu FC, Richards Bay, Sekhukhune United and TS Galaxy will play on Saturday and Sunday to determine the other semifinalists.
