Bloemfontein Celtic have undoubtedly been one of the most talked about soccer teams in South Africa over the past few weeks. The brilliant performances of Phunya Sele Sele in the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the 2012 Telkom Knockout Cup stunned and impressed thousands of soccer fans across the country. By the way, the TKO is the best paying cup competition in Africa, with total prize money of R14.2 million.
Coach Clinton Larsen’s charges grabbed the headlines after they dramatically beat defending champions, Orlando Pirates, 5-3 in a penalty shoot-out at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on 4 November. What makes the victory so much more remarkable, is that Celtic was, in fact, trailing 3-1 with a few minutes of normal playing time left. However, Ruzaigh Gamildien and Joel Mogorosi rescued their side with two last-minute goals to ensure a full-time score of 3-3. The rest, as they say, is history.
At the weekend, Celtic faced Free State Stars in Qwa qwa to determine who will face Mamelodi Sundowns in the TKO final. The Free State derby also ended in a nail-biting draw; this time both teams scored two goals. But the brilliant Joel Mogorosi again came to the rescue of the men in the green-and-white and sealed victory for his side in extra time: 3-2 the final score at the Charles Mopeli Stadium. Good luck to you in the final of the TKO against Sundowns. Siwelele! We’re behind you all the way.
– sponsored by Makro Bloemfontein
