Khune reacts to winning Man of the Match award: ‘I felt like a youngster’
Veteran goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune has reacted to his Man of the Match performance in the Carling Cup, stating that he “felt like a youngster” as he proved that class is permanent.
Khune made six brilliant saves in a tentative display for the Carling All-Stars team against Stellenbosch FC on Saturday afternoon in Polokwane.
The 36-year-old’s heroics secured the 2-1 win at a rainy New Peter Mokaba Stadium. But his performance wasn’t without blemishes. Uncharacteristic errors, which initially saw him drop down the pecking order at Kaizer Chiefs, threatened to overshadow his crucial contributions.
Khune made it into the All-Stars team despite his suspension at Chiefs for allegedly reporting to training under the influence of Alcohol.
This is a testament to his public affection as Khune also received the second-highest number of fan votes to be on the All-Stars team, behind only his Chiefs teammate Ashley Du Preez.
Khune, who was also stripped of his Amakhosi captaincy for the misconduct, was All-Stars’ skipper on the day and walked away with R100 000 for his Match of the Match display.
The former Bafana Bafana number one goalie dedicated the win to the fans for the love they have shown him and the All-Stars team.
He also said that he is happy for youngsters such as Mfundo Vilakazi as the Amakhosi DStv Diski Challenge star was afforded the opportunity to rub shoulders with experienced players of the PSL.
KHUNE ON HIS MOTM AWARD AND WINNING A TROPHY
“I felt like a youngster today, the way I was enjoying the game,” said Khune. “Today, it is not all about Itu; it is all about the All-Stars team.
“I’m happy for the DDC players, who have worked so hard to catch the eye of the soccer-loving fans, and they [fans] managed to vote for them. I’m happy for them [youngsters] for winning the gold medal. It gives them extra motivation to know how it feels like to win a cup in a packed stadium.
“Thanks to everyone who has contributed to making sure that we prepare well for this game, as we all know that Stellenbosch is a very good team, the current champions of the Carling knockout Cup and I’m happy that we managed to match them.
“It wasn’t easy travelling from Joburg to Polokwane to prepare. We only had two training sessions, and we responded positively. We all came from different clubs, but when we got here, the coach [Jose Riveiro] presented the plan, and we took it as professionals. We responded very well to the plan. Hence, we are the champions at the end of the 90 minutes.”
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