Upstart student Benni McCarthy hands teacher Gavin Hunt another defeat

The student once again managed to get the better of his teacher after Benni McCarthy’s Cape Town City beat Gavin Hunt’s BidVest Wits in a pulsating MTN8 semifinal at BidVest Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

McCarthy had the look of a man who had just passed his final exams with flying colours after City beat the more fancied Wits 3-1 on aggregate to book a date with SuperSport United in the final.

A Robyn Johannes own goal gave the home side the lead in the 12th minute but City equalized through another own goal from new Egyptian striker Ahmed Gamal Amr in the 28th minute.

Wits thought they had regained the lead a minute later after Slavko Damjanovic beat Shu-Aib Walters with a low shot in the 29th minute.

But the referee ruled Damjanovic’s effort offside‚ to the irritation of the home supporters who were already on their feet and dancing in celebration to the sounds the brass band that was playing in the stands. Given the flurry of chances created by the two sides‚ it was surprise that the score was still 1-1 when the referee blew his whistle to signal the halftime break.

McCarthy will have been the more relieved of the two coaches as Wits were asking a lot of questions of the City rearguard‚ desperate to claw their way back into the match.

City returned a more solid outfit in the second period and they suddenly looked more composed and assured as they went in search of another goal.

It was the Cape Town upstarts who finally took control of the proceedings when striker Lehlohonolo Majoro held off a challenge from Bafana Bafana captain Thulani Hlatshwayo‚ turned‚ picked his spot and unleashed a low shot that beat Wits goalkeeper Moeneeb Josephs.

City‚ who have punched well above their weight under greenhorn coach McCarthy‚ held onto their lead to deservedly win the two-legged semifinal tie 3-1 on aggregate.

McCarthy was besides himself when the referee signaled the final whistle‚ recognizing the enormity of his club’s performance away from home.

Hunt gave a 16-year-old McCarthy his professional debut in 1995 at Seven Stars and the student has certainly developed a habit of making life difficult for his teacher in the last few weeks. City beat Wits 1-0 in the opening league match of the season last month and they repeated the trick when they beat Hunt’s charges in the two legs of the MTN8 semifinals. — TimesLIVE