Stellies make it 25 unbeaten with victory over Golden Arrows
Stellenbosch FC extended their unbeaten run to a magical 25 matches across all competitions after recording a 3-0 win over Golden Arrows in their DStv Premiership encounter on Wednesday.
Proceedings got off to the perfect start for the team from the Cape Winelands as Devin Titus opened the scoring almost immediately from the kick-off, heading his side into the lead after being picked out by Anicet Oura.
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Stellenbosch almost doubled their advantage soon after when Iqraam Rayners, scorer of all five goals in last weekend’s 5-0 win over Polokwane City, dragged an effort narrowly wide after breaking through Arrows’ defence.
Rayners would find the back of the net on the half-hour mark after being squared up by Andre de Jong but the striker’s effort was ruled out by the assistant referee who adjudged him to have been offside.
Just minutes later, Stellies had another goal ruled out for offside, this time with the roles reversed as De Jong was flagged for moving too early after being set up for a tap-in by Rayners.
That was ultimately how the scores remained as Steve Barker’s troops returned to the dressing room for half-time with a narrow 1-0 lead to hold onto.
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25 matches unbeaten in honour of Oshwin, forever our No. 25 ???? pic.twitter.com/IhpvvtI6MN
— Stellenbosch FC (@StellenboschFC) May 1, 2024
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The hosts struggled to find the same level of fluidity in the opening stages of the second half and required goalkeeper Sage Stephens to intervene with a strong diving save to keep out Arrows’ first genuine effort of the night.
That scare seemed to spur Stellies into life and they responded with a goal at the other end as Man of the Match Anicet Oura latched onto an inch-perfect pass from Jayden Adams to double his side’s advantage.
The dust had hardly settled following the Ivorian’s finish when Stellenbosch found a third through Rayners who finally got his goal, sitting down the opposition defence before powering home an unstoppable close-range effort.
Rayners’ goal saw him return to the top of the DStv Premiership charts with 14 goals for the campaign and secured another important three points for the Maroons in their quest for continental qualification.
Stellenbosch will be back in action this weekend when the club welcomes Mamelodi Sundowns to Danie Craven Stadium for the semi-final of the 2024 Nedbank Cup. Tickets for that clash are on sale here.