Barker Celebrates Redemption as Stellenbosch Shocks Kaizer Chiefs

Barker: No Grudges Against Chiefs

Stellenbosch coach Steve Barker has expressed that he holds no grudges against any opponent following his team's successful bid to end their losing streak by defeating Kaizer Chiefs in the Carling Knockout Round of 16 on Sunday.

In recent meetings, Barker's squad had struggled against Chiefs, who had secured victories in their last four encounters, including this season's league opener at Athlone Stadium.

Last season, Chiefs also secured six league points over Stellenbosch and eliminated them in the Nedbank Cup quarterfinals before going on to lift the trophy.

However, during a thrilling encounter in front of a vibrant crowd at DHL Stadium in Cape Town — where kick-off was delayed by 30 minutes due to a significant number of fans queuing outside — Stellenbosch managed to frustrate Amakhosi throughout the match.

Substitute goalkeeper Sage Stephens emerged as the hero by saving Dillan Solomons’ decisive penalty in sudden death, allowing Stellies to progress to the quarterfinals.

“I’m never one to hold grudges or to look to beat a team because of one, two, three,” Barker stated after the match. “But I had a strong sense of motivation going into this one, and my message to the players was simple — this is an opportunity for redemption.”

Barker added, “We had close calls; we had red cards go against us in tight games. Having lost to them three times last season and already this season, apparently, we played five times in one calendar year, so it was important for us not to lose the fifth game on the trot against them.”

He noted, “The message was clear: it is our opportunity to just first of all, to win the game and get to the last eight. The main objective and the second objective were to try to keep 11 players on the pitch as long as possible, which we did today [on Sunday], fortunately, until the last bit of the game.”

Barker reflected on the importance of the victory, stating, “But it was an important win for us against a team that basically been beating us too regularly from our own liking.”

Stellenbosch concluded the match with 10 players on the field after right-back Thapelo Mokobodi received a red card in the 106th minute for bringing down Pule Mmodi, who was through on goal.

Despite being a man down, Stellies maintained their composure and secured victory in the shootout. They will now face Marumo Gallants in the quarterfinals, with Gallants having stunned Mamelodi Sundowns — also on penalties — at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday.