Stellenbosch FC head coach Steve Barker

Stellenbosch FC secured qualification to the 2025-26 CAF Confederation Cup Group Stage after securing an impressive 4-1 victory over 15 de Agosto de Akonibe at Athlone Stadium on Sunday.

Thatho Khiba opened the scoring for Stellies from the penalty spot in the first half, before second-half goals from Sanele Barns, Andre de Jong, and Chumani Butsaka secured a resounding victory for the team from the Cape Winelands.

Here is what coach Steve Barker had to say after the match.

Reflections on the 90 minutes of football

“It was a solid performance from us, and I think, all around, it was clear to see that we were the better team and in control of the majority of the match,” Barker said.

“We had been unlucky not to get an earlier goal with the chances we created, and we hit the post a couple of times, so going in with only a 1-0 lead at halftime, I thought we probably needed to have gotten another goal.

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“What we didn’t want to do is go into the second half and then the game drags on at 1-0, and then obviously the risk of a score draw means that we don’t qualify.

“So, the message at halftime was that we can’t afford not to go for the second goal and hopefully get a third. We didn’t want to be in a situation where something could happen and then we’d have to be reactive.

“The message was to go out in the second half and continue playing and continue asking questions. We knew they would start tiring and they would have to come out at us to try and get back in the game, and then that would hopefully be the opportunity to then bury the game, which we did.

“We started the second half well and got the 3-0 lead, and then it was pretty comfortable. Obviously, you don’t want to be conceding sloppy goals, and clean sheets are always something that we want to be keeping, so it was a bit disappointing to concede at 3-1, but we got the fourth, and the game was over.

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“It was a solid performance all round. It’s nice to be scoring goals again and just looking forward to the group stages.”

Improving performances of Bradley Mojela

Mojela, who missed the majority of last season after undergoing knee surgery, delivered an impressive outing. The 29-year-old won the penalty that Khiba converted and was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet after seeing an effort ruled out for offside.

“I had a good chat with Bradley early in the week to tell him that he is slowly getting back,” Barker added. “It was a difficult injury to overcome, and in terms of his full rehabilitation, he is still getting there.

“I always wanted to use the CAF preliminary stage games for him to get those minutes, and today I was very pleased with his effort and his commitment and his energy.

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“We all know what Bradley can do, and he created a typical Mojela moment to create the penalty for us in the first half. It’s good to see him moving a lot better than what I’ve seen in the last couple of weeks.

“I’m very pleased for him that he was able to do that, and he probably could have continued [for the full 90 minutes,] but being on the yellow card, we just were a little bit hesitant to push him all the way just in case he got his second yellow.”

Learning from last season in the CAF Group Stages

Having secured progression to the next round, Stellies will look to learn from last season’s experience in the Confed Cup, where the team lost its first three Group Stage matches before rallying to earn qualification to the knockout stages.

Barker said, “The experience we gained is something that we now have in our arsenal, just in terms of experiencing the continent alone.

“We had a difficult start [last season], it wasn’t easy with us not getting anything from our first three matches, but we recovered well enough to then make the knockout stages.

“There are a lot of big teams in the hat for the draw, so we’re not expecting it to be any easier, but hopefully our experience can stand us in good stead.

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“I’m also hoping and trusting that Athlone can become our home venue for the group stages. I’m not sure where we are at with the approval, but what made it more difficult last season was traveling and playing out of the Western Cape, so hopefully the group stage games can be either here or at DHL stadium.”

Rediscovering goalscoring form

Following a challenging start to the season, Stellies have now scored eight goals in their last two games, including a 4-3 midweek victory over Golden Arrows in the Betway Premiership.

“It’s just really about perseverance and trusting and continuing to do the things that we always do. The confidence we got from midweek carried into today, and hopefully it can carry on through to Wednesday, and our next two very big, important league matches before the FIFA break.

“…Hopefully the floodgates have opened a little bit, but we can’t become complacent. We’ve got to keep working on the final third box entries and on the quality of the pass, cross, or shot. We did have a barren spell, but hopefully that’s now a thing of the past.”