Van Wyk wonder-goal earns Stellies victory in Premier League Next Gen
Stellenbosch FC opened their Premier League Next Generation Cup title defence with a 1-0 Group A win over Bengaluru FC on Wednesday afternoon.
In temperatures exceeding 36 degrees at Reliance Park in Mumbai, India, Evangelos Vellios’ charges got their 2023 Premier League Next Generation Cup campaign off to a strong start by recording a 1-0 win over Group A rivals Bengaluru FC.
Stellies hit the ground running in the opening 10 minutes of the encounter and tested the goal with an effort from centre-back Prince Annor, who headed narrowly over from a corner before Roy-Keane Avontuur fired wide from a promising position shortly thereafter.
A moment of silence was held in honour of late Stellenbosch FC defender Oshwin Andries, who was part of the club’s 2022 title-winning squad prior to his untimely death earlier this year.
The early pressure paid off moments later when Antonio van Wyk, a winner of the competition with the club last season, embarked on a mazy run through the Bengaluru defence which culminated in him beating two defenders and the opposition goalkeeper before tapping home the opening goal of the match.
All teams taking part in the Premier League Next Generation Cup play in matches with 35-minute halves, with a water break in each half, due to the sweltering conditions in India.
Several half-chances followed thereafter before Van Wyk nearly doubled Stellies’ lead on the stroke of half-time. The Bafana Bafana firing into the side netting from a free-kick after Azola Jakalashe was fouled during the previous passage of play.
Following the break, the South African outfit picked up where they left off and it was Jakalashe who threatened next as he fired just over the bar with a rising effort after being played through on goal by a defence-splitting pass by Van Wyk.
The striker did find the back of the net moments later but saw his goal ruled out for an unintentional handball after his effort was deemed to have rebounded off of his arm following a strong initial save by Bengaluru’s shot-stopper.
Stellies continued to press for a second as the match neared its end and Roy-Keane Avontuur struck the woodwork with a powerfully headed effort before substitute Shaun Morgan fired over the rebound.
Those missed opportunities opened the door for Bengaluru to mount a late comeback and the local side pressed hard during the final stages of the match, denied only by the crucial intervention of captain Kyle Jurgens with one of the last attacks of the match.
Following the match, head coach Evangelos Vellios revealed his pleasure at opening the account with all three points and lauded his side’s performance in testing conditions.
“I think to start with a win is important in a tournament like this,” Vellios said. “I thought was a very mature, solid performance by our players and we did really well.
“We had the opportunities to kill the game which we didn’t take, but in a new environment, with new food, and extreme heat, to come out with a win is fantastic and I couldn’t ask for anything more from the players.
“Now it will just be a case of seeing where they are physically and prepare for the next match.”
Head coach Evangelos Vellios previously guided Stellenbosch FC to the Premier League Next Generation Cup title in the United Kingdom in 2022.
Stellenbosch FC will be in action against fellow Indian side ATK Mohun Bagan on Saturday, 20 May 2023, with that match scheduled to kick off at 16h30. Supporters can watch the encounter live on SuperSport Schools and the official Premier League YouTube channel.