Stellenbosch FC recorded their first win of the 2025-’26 Betway Premiership season after claiming a 1-0 victory over Marumo Gallants on Tuesday 26 August.
Just three days after from the club’s 3-1 aggregate MTN8 semi-final triumph over Sekhukhune United in Polokwane, the Maroons returned home to welcome high-flying Marumo Gallants to Danie Craven Stadium.
An entertaining opening 45 minutes of football ensued as both sides looked threatening on attack, but it was the hosts who created the biggest chance of the night through Andre de Jong, who struck the crossbar with a powerful header.
Gallants responded with a chance of their own moments later, when Stellies ‘keeper Sage Stephens was forced into making a smart save to deny a curling effort from Christopher Sithole, but there was no separating the sides at the break (0-0).
Coach Steve Barker then made two substitutions at half-time as Muzomuhle Khanyi and Langelihle Phili were introduced in place of Genino Palace and Lesiba Nku, and the change proved to be a stroke of genius. Less than two minutes after their introductions, Khanyi picked out Phili, who fired Stellies into the lead with a powerful effort into the bottom corner (1-0).
Gallants pushed forward in search of an equaliser and created a handful of half-chances at the other end, but it was Stellies who came closest to troubling the scorers again. After a neat passage of play, De Jong picked out an unmarked Khanyi in the box with a deft pass, but the striker was snuffed out at the last minute by a point-blank save by Washington Arubi.
That ultimately proved to be the last telling moment of the encounter as Stellies saw out the clash to claim an important 1-0 victory.
The team’s next Betway Premiership match is against last season’s league winners, Mamelodi Sundowns, at Athlone Stadium on Saturday 30 August. Kick-off is at 15:00.
The MTN8 final will be a repeat of last year’s duel. In this much-anticipated event, Stellies will face off against Orlando Pirates at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on Saturday 13 September.
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