TS Galaxy feel the arduous journey they endured on the way to the Carling Knockout Cup final has prepared them to be ready for whatever Stellenbosch FC might throw their way in the decider.
Galaxy and Stellies are set to battle it out for the top honours in the climax of the tournament at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday (3pm).
Having knocked out Mamelodi Sundowns, Sekhukhune United and AmaZulu FC, Galaxy assistant coach Adnan Beganovic believes their journey wasn’t just difficult but also taught them how to remain positive in sticky situations.
Two of those games, against Sundowns and Sekhukhune, were decided through penalty shoot-outs after no side emerged victorious after 120 minutes.
“We didn’t have an easy way to the final,” Beganovic said.
“We had three tough games and in the first game we lost Bernard Parker to a bad injury (Parker broke his leg after a terrible tackle by Sundowns’ Bongani Zungu).
“And in the last game we beat AmaZulu 3-2, and it was not an easy game. Before that we played for 120 minutes (against Sekhukhune). It was not easy for the players to recover but we tried everything to get to the final.”
Tough clashes prepared Galaxy for showdown with in-form Stellies in Carling Cup final
TS Galaxy feel the arduous journey they endured on the way to the Carling Knockout Cup final has prepared them to be ready for whatever Stellenbosch FC might throw their way in the decider.
Galaxy and Stellies are set to battle it out for the top honours in the climax of the tournament at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday (3pm).
Having knocked out Mamelodi Sundowns, Sekhukhune United and AmaZulu FC, Galaxy assistant coach Adnan Beganovic believes their journey wasn’t just difficult but also taught them how to remain positive in sticky situations.
Two of those games, against Sundowns and Sekhukhune, were decided through penalty shoot-outs after no side emerged victorious after 120 minutes.
“We didn’t have an easy way to the final,” Beganovic said.
“We had three tough games and in the first game we lost Bernard Parker to a bad injury (Parker broke his leg after a terrible tackle by Sundowns’ Bongani Zungu).
“And in the last game we beat AmaZulu 3-2, and it was not an easy game. Before that we played for 120 minutes (against Sekhukhune). It was not easy for the players to recover but we tried everything to get to the final.”
The Rockets looked set to have another tough clash against Stellies, who have been in fine form recently.
Stellies currently sit fourth on the DStv Premiership log table after five wins and a draw in their last six league outings.
The Steve Barker-coached side have not lost a match in their last nine league outings.
They will head into this clash buoyed by the fact that they beat Galaxy 3-0 in their last meeting in the league at the beginning of October.
However, Beganovic and his side will be confident as they have also shown their own significant improvements since then.
“We have played many games against Stellenbosch, so we know a lot about each other but in the end, I think whoever will score first will have the best opportunity to win the trophy,” Beganovic said.
The last time Galaxy played a final at Moses Mabhida Stadium was in 2019 when they stunned Kaizer Chiefs to win the Nedbank Cup. They were still campaigning in the Motsepe Foundation Championship and being coached by Dan Malesela.
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