Lafitte praises clinical Gallants after emphatic Carling Knockout victory

Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo led the charge with a brilliant brace and a Man of the Match performance.

Substitutes Monde Mphambaniso added a third before Edgar Manaka sealed the result late on to complete a memorable evening for Gallants.

Lafitte says he expected nothing less than progression to the next round.

"I'm really happy because we scored four goals and didn't concede anything in return. It is always a big challenge when you play against Stellenbosch, so everyone is happy about our progression to the next round."

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Gallants have been drawn to face Golden Arrows in the quarterfinals of the competition, a side they’ll also meet this Sunday, 2 November, in the Betway Premiership.

Having already eliminated Mamelodi Sundowns and Stellenbosch, some of the strongest teams in South African football, Lafitte says his players have shown they can compete with the best, and that belief is growing in the squad.

For Stellenbosch, it was a disappointing end to their Carling Knockout run, coming off back-to-back wins: a 4–3 league victory over Golden Arrows and a 4–1 CAF Confederation Cup triumph.

Steve Barker’s side started brightly, with Devin Titus and Langelihle Phili both coming close early on.

However, after Ndlondlo’s 28th-minute opener, Stellies struggled to recover and couldn’t find their rhythm in the second half.

Barker admitted that, without making excuses, everything that could have gone wrong seemed to go wrong on the night.

"This was a game of fine margins, especially in the first half when we conceded a goal that looked to be offside, and we also weren't given a penalty. 

"As we tried to push to get back into the game in the second half, we were getting caught by transitions, which we didn't deal with."

Between 18 and 29 October, Stellenbosch have played four matches across the Betway Premiership, CAF Confederation Cup, and Carling Knockout, with significant travel in between.

In Bloemfontein, Barker rotated heavily, retaining only five players from the side that faced the outfit from Equatorial Guinea last weekend.

Asked whether the congested schedule contributed to their fatigue and eventual defeat, the Stellies coach said it’s difficult to pinpoint but acknowledged that fixture congestion always poses a challenge.

FULL CARLING KNOCKOUT SEMI-FINAL DRAW:

•              Golden Arrows vs Marumo Gallants

•              Richards Bay vs Orlando Pirates

Meanwhile, the dates and venues will be announced in due course.