It
means back-to-back victories for young Matsatsantsa in the tournament, with
their winning goal in the title decider coming from Nelson Maluleke.
The
four semi-finalists, which also included Jomo Cosmos and Sunward High School,
all booked their place in the prestigious Future Champions Gauteng
International Tournament that will be played in Soweto from 24th to 29th March
2014.
There
they will rub shoulders with some of the best Under-17 sides from around the
world in a competition that has become one of the highlights of the world
junior football calendar.
The
16 teams that competed at the Future Champions Gauteng Cup on Saturday were
made up of eight from the academies of professional clubs in the Province, four
sides who had qualified via the Gauteng Schools Cup and a further four sides
made up of SAFA regions in the province.
Supersport
United topped a tight Group A with two wins from their three games,
beating SAFA Johannesburg 1-0 and
Johannesburg Secondary by the same score line.
Mpumalanga
Black Aces were runners up in the pool by virtue of their victory over
Supersport in the final group game which meant they were the only side not to
lose. Sunward Park High were among the most impressive of the semi-final
qualifiers as they breezed through Group B after winning all three of their
matches.
Keanu
Cupido scored twice as they saw off SAFA Sedibeng 4-0, before defeating Kaizer
Chiefs 1-0 thanks to a goal from Tlou Masegela. They rounded out their pool
play with a 4-0 victory over Moroka Swallows. Jomo Cosmos edged Group C ahead
of Bidvest Wits after they picked up two wins and a draw. The decisive game in
the pool proved to be their 1-0 win over The Clever Boys, with Prim Gouindsamy
getting the goal.
Mamelodi
Sundowns were the dominant force in Group D as they claimed three wins,
finishing top ahead of the Sports School of Excellence.
Supersport
United booked their place in the final with an emphatic 4-0 win over Jomo
Cosmos thanks to goals from Nelson Maluleke, Athenkosi Dladla and Zama
Rambuwane (two). It was a much tighter affair in the other semi-final, where
Mamelodi Sundowns edged Sunward Park High 1 – 0 with Ofentse Mohomotji on the
score-sheet.
