KFA wins U/19 HopSol Cup via penalties

Kaizen Football Academy (KFA) held on to their nerves to overcome Ramblers in the final of the 2023 MTC Hop Sol U/19 Youth League cup at the Jan Möhr Football Fields via a 4-3 penalty shootout.
KFA were the first on the scoresheet when their pressing forced the Ramblers goalkeeper to concede a penalty early in the match, which was converted.

From there on, KFA grew in confidence and started controlling the game throughout the first half without utilising their chances.
The second half was a different story as Ramblers upped the tempo and started creating several chances, especially from set pieces, which they did not convert.
However, Rammies, as Ramblers are known to their multitude of fans, had lady luck smiling in their direction as they scored a last-gasp equaliser to force the game into a penalty shootout.
KFA had the last laugh as they triumphed 4-3 in the dreaded shootout to claim the winner’s trophy and medals.
Rammies coach Raymond Vilander felt that his charges did not play well on the day, as they had their chances but could not convert them.

“They dominated the midfield today; when they got the penalty and scored, they started dribbling us and started wasting time to kill us off. We told the boys to play until the last minute – and yes, we scored a brilliant goal in the end,” he explained.

He criticised his side for lacking composure, stating that they failed to hit the target with their set pieces and wasted their corner kicks.

“The boys were rushing it. Towards the last 15 minutes, KFA started wasting time, and we said, Let’s put the ball down and stretch it wide, and it worked out. But it’s KFA’s day; they wanted it more. They converted all the penalties, and we missed one; it’s now in the past,” he said.

For Ramblers, their 2023 campaign was almost perfect, as they were unbeaten the whole season and conceded only four goals throughout the season.

“We scored about 28 goals this season; it was a good display by the boys. As we all know, penalty shootouts are a gamble; anybody can take them and score or miss. Congratulations to KFA! I think they wanted it more; they were technically better when they had the ball – but in penalties, it’s about composure,” he said.

For next year, coach Vilander said they have already integrated most of the boys into their first division squad as their next step in grooming them.

“Next year, we start afresh; some will remain in the squad and others will be in the second division. Our boys played like champions throughout. Going the whole season undefeated takes a lot of guts and heart,” he concluded.

The winning coach of KFA, Llewelyn Bock, said the match was going to be tough because Ramblers had an excellent season, as they had not conceded a lot of goals or lost a match.

“We knew getting two or three goals against them would be very difficult because they are very organised. So, we had to take our chances once we created them, and we did not have a lot of them. In the first half, we played well – and I was very happy,” he said.

“We were very dominant with the ball in the first half. In the second half, we dropped off a little bit, but we gave them a lot of free kicks. We started allowing them to come back in the game, which got a little bit nervy for us,” he explained.

Bock felt the changes they made brought balance to his side towards the end, but a lack of concentration led to his team conceding a last-minute goal.

“Normally, when a team scores at that time, it gives them momentum going into the penalty shootout. We told the boys we came all this way, and reminded the five guys selected that they were not under pressure,” Bock said.

He said they never focused on their opponents, as they felt there was nothing that they could share with them that they did not know about each other.
“These are their friends; they hang together and go to school together, and they know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. So, for us, we play our own game and encourage the boys to play our way,” he said.

On the way forward, Bock said he will be preparing the boys to usher them into men’s football at a higher level.

“They will be playing in the second division next year; all of them have been registered for that. We have already used them in that setup. We have already played three matches; they have won two, lost one and kept two clean sheets. So, they are doing very well in terms of where we want to take them,” he concluded.