The Coke Cup, as it’s affectionately known, is club football’s holy grail in terms of prestige and everlasting honour. And that’s what’s in store for Cape Town City FC and Hellenic, who powered their way through the semi-finals yesterday (3 October 2021), setting the stage for a blast-from-the-past finale.
The Coca-Cola Cup Boys u18 boys division, held at Stephen Reagan in Mitchell’s Plain, brought together the top four teams from the Western Cape to compete in a top-flight football clash.
Cape Town City FC took some sweet revenge for their defeat in the finals of last month’s Engen Knockout Challenge, beating Ubuntu Football 2-1. Meanwhile Hellenic (who exited in the semi-finals of that competition) took down a spirited Rygersdal by the same scoreline.
“We owed them one – and we gave them one,” laughed Cape Town City Captain Jaden Rhodes – who was the proud match winner on the day. “I feel amazing and especially scoring the winning goal. The game wasn’t that tough except for the field that was a bit of a challenge.. The team fought till the last minute to get the win.”
Cape Town City RB Siphamandla Donolo was another standout player, who put in a good shift in his Right Back position – and was very happy with the team’s advancement.
“The game was good, very balanced, with possession going 50/50 I think,” he said. “This game today meant a lot to us, we just kept pushing and pushing. The coaches told us to work hard and press them so that they were unable to pass forward. Which would limit their chances of shooting at goal.”
“I’m feeling very excited, this was a good team effort. Hard work pays off, as they say,” said Hellenic’s Junaid Lakay, who sees this as a chance to make up for their performance in the Engen Challenge.
“We started really slow in Engen,” he commented. “The team struggled to stick to the game plan, and the conditions were not in our favour. This time we came with a game plan knowing who we needed, who we needed to take out and who we needed to put in – and we stuck to it. In the end it does pay off for us. And lots of credit needs to go to the coaching staff, who got the selection tip-top today.”
Coca Cola Cup 2021 Semi Final Scores
- Hellenic 2- 1 Rygersdal
- Cape Town City 2-1 Ubuntu
With the semi-finals in the bag, it’s Cape Town City vs Hellenic in the final on 16 October, hopefully at Athlone Stadium – the Wembley of Cape Town.
This is where legends are made and careers are started. Rolling back the years to the days of Hartleyvale. The Greek Gods coming up against the Citizens – and supporters may be allowed.
Stay tuned for the story!
