Cupido’s last-minute strike seals Stellenbosch’s CAF Confederation Cup win

The 3  000 km-long trip was fast beginning to look futile when substitute Ashley Cupido made it worthwhile for Stellenbosch FC with a last-minute goal that gave them a 1–0 winning start to their CAF Confederation Cup group stage campaign at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The team from the Cape Winelands had to travel nearly the full length of the country for a “home” match far from their base, where all of the Danie Craven, Athlone and DHL Cape Town stadiums were unavailable.

The Limpopo soccer faithful were conspicuous by their absence, with fewer than a thousand fans arriving for the afternoon match at the 45 000-seater 2010 Fifa World Cup venue. You would have sworn the stadium was packed, though, when Cupido made a poacher’s run into the box behind the visitors’ defence to see Stellies winning 1–0.

The group that had spent the entire game chanting somewhat melancholically, found their voice, and were joined by those watching with some disdain to create a vibrant atmosphere.

Stellies duly acknowledged them, with Steve Barker and his team dancing and applauding as the crowd sang for them at the end of the match, the final whistle having been blown immediately after the restart following Cupido’s goal.

The 1–0 victory over Congo-Brazzaville’s AS Otoho sees them second in their group, behind Sead Ramovic’s CR Belouizdad, who beat Singida Black Stars 2–0. Next up for Stellies is a trip away to Zanzibar, where they will face Singida. This victory, and the fact that their opponents were beaten on Matchday 1, will see them taking to the field confident of adding three more points to their kitty.

It was a match that had looked evenly poised, with neither team really taking control in the initial stages and very few chances created in the first 45 minutes. Stellies’ shooting seemed misaligned, with most of their shots from range ending in row 13 behind the goals.

They nearly went down 1–0 in added time at the end of the first half when they conceded a free kick on the edge of the box for a handball. Ibrahima Traoré took a superb shot that went over the defensive wall and beat Sage Stephens, but it crashed against the crossbar and went over.

Stellies survived another scare at the beginning of the second half when a header from a corner kick went inches wide, with Stephens caught out of position.

Barker rang numerous changes during the second half, and the Stellies attack seemed much sharper afterwards.

It appeared the game would end in a stalemate until Cupido proved to be the super-sub, with a goal that left Barker saying: “We will come back here if we keep winning” — the long air and road trip notwithstanding.