Orlando Pirates FC claim the 2015 Future Champions Gauteng Cup title

Orlando Pirates FC held their nerve for a penalty shoot-out victory over Jomo Cosmos in the final of the Future Champions Gauteng Cup played at the Vaal University of Technology’s Isak Steyl Stadium on Sunday (1st March 2015).

After neither side could find the back of the net in the Final, Pirates triumphed 4-3 in the shoot-out to win their second Gauteng Cup title after also claiming the prestigious trophy in 2012.

The duo who played the Final, along with beaten semi-finalists SuperSport United and University of Pretoria, will now advance to the Future Champions Gauteng International tournament to be played in Soweto from March 23-28.

There they will come up against some of the best Under-17 academies in the world as they fly the flag for Gauteng in this year’s event.

The Final brought an end to a thrilling day of action that saw goals galore among the competing teams.

University of Pretoria edged Mpumalanga Black Aces in a Group A that was essentially cut to three teams after Moroka Swallows withdrew from the event.

That meant all their fixtures were awarded 2-0 to their opponents and AmaTuks picked up another win over Lawley Secondary School and drew with Black Aces to take the pool on goal-difference.

Pirates topped Group B with perhaps the pivotal game a 1-0 win over Bidvest Wits that came via a Samuel Magane goal.

Rosina Sedibane Modiba Sport School were runners-up, a point behind the Buccaneers.

Cosmos breezed through Group C as they won all three of their matches, conceding just a single goal along the way.

One of the outstanding players on the day emerged from this pool also as Midas Football Academy star Jason Arends netted a hat-trick in a 5-1 win over Johannesburg Secondary and then got two more in a 2-2 draw with FTF Academy to finish top of the scorers pile with five goals.

Defending champions SuperSport United came through an incredibly difficult Group D that also included Tshwane rivals Mamelodi Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs and the Sports School of Excellence.

Their 2-0 win over Chiefs in the final pool match, thanks to goals from Charles Sithole and Jake Aresti, proved crucial.

After a hard-fought goalless draw in the semi-finals, Pirates edged University of Pretoria 3-2 in a penalty shoot-out following a 0-0 draw to earn their place in the deciding game.

The other Last 4 clash saw Jomo Cosmos ease past SuperSport 2-0 as Sanele Nong and Siyanda Buthelezi grabbed the goals for them.

The Final would prove a tight affair once more and with neither side able to find the back of the net, the young Buccaneers again showed nerves of steel to claim the 4 – 3 shoot-out win.


GROUP A

Lawley Secondary 2 Moroka Swallows 0*

Mpumalanga Black Aces 1 (Reabetswe Lebone) University of Pretoria 1 (Tojotiana Andmamialy)

Lawley Secondary 0 University of Pretoria 4 (Mbongeni Mayekiso 2, Monde Skele, Jason Arends)

Mpumalanga Black Aces 2 Moroka Swallows 0*

Moroka Swallows 0 University of Pretoria 2*

Mpumalanga Black Aces 2 (Marco Catalino, Fabio de Freitas) Lawley Secondary 1 (Elliot Sithole)

*Swallows withdrew, matches awarded as 2-0 win to their opponents

Team P W D L GF GA PTS

University of Pretoria 3 2 1 0 7 1 7

Mpumalanga Black Aces 3 2 1 0 5 2 7

Lawley Secondary 3 1 0 2 3 6 3

Moroka Swallows 3 0 0 3 0 6 0

GROUP B

Rosina Sedibane 1 (Collen Mothapo) Bidvest Wits 0

Shumba FD 1 (Wandy Khwinana) Orlando Pirates 1 (Siphumelele Mbulu)

Rosina Sedibane 0 Orlando Pirates 1 (Katlego Mtwish)

Shumba FD 0 Bidvest Wits 1 (Daniel Tob)

Bidvest Wits 0 Orlando Pirates 1 (Samuel Magane)

Shumba FD 1 (Sive Mfala) Rosina Sedibane 4 (Sakkie Dladla 2, Kgotsefalo Mabu, Kabelo Mothoa)

Team P W D L GF GA PTS

Orlando Pirates 3 2 1 0 3 1 7

Rosina Sedibane 3 2 0 1 5 2 6

Bidvest Wits 3 1 0 2 1 2 3

Shumba FD 3 0 1 2 2 6 1

GROUP C

Johannesburg Secondary 1 (Aslam Bolani) FTF Academy 2 (Michael Mayer, Lihlohonolo Ngobeni)

Jomo Cosmos 2 (Nhlakanipho Nxumalo, Siyanda Buthelezi) Midas Football Academy 1 (Nkululelo Sithole)

Johannesburg Secondary 1 (Liban Mohamed) Midas Football Academy 5 (Jason Arends 3, Philani Masondo, Lwazi Mekuto)

Jomo Cosmos 2 (Paulos Lesako, William Mashego) FTF Academy 0

FTF Academy 2 (Sibusiso Motlele, Lehlohonolo Mahlangu) Midas Football Academy 2 (Jason Arends 2)

Jomo Cosmos 2 (Karabo Sithole, Simingaye Buyisa) Johannesburg Secondary 0

Team P W D L GF GA PTS

Jomo Cosmos 3 3 0 0 6 1 9

Midas Football Academy 3 1 1 1 8 5 4

FTF Academy 3 1 1 1 4 5 4

Johannesburg Secondary 3 0 0 3 2 9 0

GROUP D

School of Excellence 1 (Qiniso Gameda) Kaizer Chiefs 0

Mamelodi Sundowns 0 SuperSport United 0

School of Excellence 0 SuperSport United 1 (Nikolaos Anastasopolos)

Mamelodi Sundowns 3 (Damian Smith, Siphamandla Ntuli, Boitumelo Pheko) Kaizer Chiefs 1 (Ayanda Rorinana)

Kaizer Chiefs 0 SuperSport United 2 (Charles Sithole, Jake Aresti)

Mamelodi Sundowns 0 School of Excellence 0

Team P W D L GF GA PTS

SuperSport United 3 2 1 0 3 0 7

Mamelodi Sundowns 3 1 2 0 3 1 5
School of Excellence 3 1 1 1 1 1 4

Kaizer Chiefs 3 0 0 3 1 6 0

SEMI-FINALS

University of Pretoria 0 Orlando Pirates 0; Pirates won 3-2 on pens

Jomo Cosmos 2 (Sanele Nong, Siyanda Buthelezi) SuperSport United 0

FINAL

Orlando Pirates 0 Jomo Cosmos 0; Pirates win 4-3 on pens

  • We had a wonderful football and cultural experience in Gauteng. The tournament and activities were very well organized and we found everyone involved extremely helpful and accommodating. We have all returned home with fantastic memories of our time in South Africa, both on and off the pitch, and have made many new friends as a result of the trip. I hope that we are invited to participate in future tournaments.

    Everton Academy Head Coach

  • The experience both on and off the field for our players during the Future Champions tournament in Gauteng was life-enriching for all those who participated. We were privileged enough to win this edition but what will be bringing us back in future is the cross-cultural education our players receive from spending time with athletes from all over the world. They are human beings before they are football players and enriching them with other cultures is as rewarding as the experience they receive on the field.

    Club Tijuana Director of Football

  • After twenty years of experiencing tournaments around the globe, Future Champions is hands down the best organized, well run International Tournament we have ever participated in. Bringing teams from dozens of different countries provided our boys exposure to cultural diversity they only read about in textbooks. It’s amazing how sport can be the cultural link that provides the opportunity to interact with each other and discover that our global community is a bit smaller than they realized. We had a football and cultural experience that will be cherished for the rest of our lives.

    Director of USYSA Select

  • For us to compete in Future Champions is much more than playing a series of matches. It is an opportunity to compete and contrast our level against the best teams from around the world and the possibility of living in another culture and environment for an unforgettable week, learning about the history of the fight for human rights.

    Director of Aspire Academy

  • The addition of a girls’ competition this year is a natural expansion for what has become a hugely popular event. Over and above the football, the players are also exposed to life-skills courses and HIV/AIDS awareness that could end up saving their lives in the future. We have had an amazing partnership with the Gauteng Province over the last decade and we thank each and every stakeholder for making the Future Champions Gauteng campaign such a huge success

    Tournament director