The Cape Town Engen Knockout Challenge kicked off on Friday at Erica Park, Belhar, with the defending champions, Cape Town City and Cape Town Roses, both winning twice.
They face tough competition, with, among others, City up against JPM Antalyaspor, the Bayhill Premier Cup winner, and the SAFA Cape Town Academy.
Cape Town City makes waves from their very first match
Cape Town City is the reigning champion of the Engen Champs of Champs after defeating Chippa United in the national final last year. The Engen Champs of Champs features the winners of the regional Engen tournaments, who compete for the honour of claiming the national title.
Catch the Cape Town Engen Knockout Challenge action LIVE on SuperSport Schools
In their pursuit of a return to the national stage, The Citizens kicked off their Cape Town Engen Knockout Challenge campaign with two victories in Group C, where they’re competing against Central Schools Football, Hellenic, and South End.
In their opening match, Cape Town City prevailed 3-1 over South End, and they followed up with a narrow 1-0 win over Hellenic in a challenging encounter.
Central Schools Football and Hellenic picked up three points each on Friday, with Central Schools in second place after the opening day on goal difference. They beat South End 2-1 but lost 1-2 against Hellenic.
While Cape Town City leads Group C, in Group A, the SAFA Cape Town Academy stated their case as a strong contender with successive 2-0 wins over Valhalla United and United Aces
Aces scored a 2-1 victory over District Six, while District Six bounced back with a 1-0 win against Valhalla.
In Group B, the Ubuntu Football Academy defeated Eyethu 1-0 and Table View 5-1, setting them up to progress further in the competition.
The 2024 champion of the Cape Town Engen Knockout Challenge, Stellenbosch FC, kicked off their campaign in Group B with a 2-1 victory against Eyethu, but subsequently suffered a 0-2 loss to Table View.
JPM Antalyaspor showed they’re eager to add more silverware to their Bayhill Premier Cup title. Playing in Group D, they opened with a 1-0 victory over Everton, followed by an impressive 4-1 win over Rising Stars, which left Antalyaspor with the maximum haul of six points.
After their defeat to JPM Antalyaspor, Everton rebounded with a 2-1 victory over Grassy Park United, who were beaten for a second time, going down 0-2 to Rising Stars.
Cape Town Roses remains the team to beat
Cape Town Roses made a big statement on Friday in their pursuit of a fourth successive Cape Town Engen Knockout Challenge title. They overpowered Spurs WFC 11-0 in their opening match and then trounced Hout Bay 6-0 in their second outing.
Hout Bay secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Otha United to hold down second position in Group A with three points after Friday’s matches. Otha United and Spurs WFC played to a scoreless draw.
In Group B, Dangerous Heroes lived up to their name, grabbing two victories: the first a convincing 5-0 win over the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) Ladies, and the second a close 1-0 win over Goal Hunters.
After that narrow defeat, Goal Hunters bounced back with a 5-3 victory over Magic Ladies, while Magic Ladies cruised to a 4-0 win against the struggling CPUT Ladies.
The Ubuntu Football Academy Ladies side, founded in 2023, is part of an academy that was officially founded in 2011, initially catering to boys aged 12 to 13. Already, the academy’s girls’ team has made an impact in Cape Town, and they showed they mean business on Friday, brushing aside Real Brazilians 3-0 and Badgers Ladies 5-0 to take charge of Group C.
Santos also made a strong start, scoring two victories and accumulating six points, leaving them in second position behind Ubuntu on goal difference. They secured a 3-0 win against Badgers Ladies and a 4-2 victory over Real Brazilians.
In Group D, RV United leads the way over Rygersdal, Salt River Blackpool, and Stellenbosch FC.
RV United was stretched in their two matches but won both, beating Rygersdal 1-0 and Stellenbosch 2-0. After that opening loss, Rygersdal bagged a 2-0 win over Salt River Blackpool, while Stellenbosch shared the points with Salt River Blackpool after a 1-1 draw.
RESULTS
Friday, 26 June
Boys’ Competition
Group A
United Aces 2-1 District Six
SAFA Cape Town Academy 2-0 Valhalla United
District Six 1-0 Valhalla United
SAFA Cape Town Academy 2-0 United Aces
Group B
Stellenbosch 2-1 Eyethu FC
Ubuntu Football Academy 5-1 Table View FC
Ubuntu Football Academy 1-0 Eyethu
Table View 2-0 Stellenbosch
Group C
Hellenic 2-1 Central Schools Football
Cape Town City 3-1 South End
Cape Town City 1-0 Hellenic
Central Schools Football 2-1 South End
Group D
Rising Stars 2-0 Grassy Park United
JPM Antalyaspor 1-0 Everton
Everton 2-1 Grassy Park United
JPM Antalyaspor 4-1 Rising Stars
Girls’ Competition
Group A
Hout Bay 1-0 Otha United
Cape Town Roses 11-0 Spurs WFC
Cape Town Roses 6-0 Hout Bay
Otha United United 0-0 Spurs WFC
Group B
Dangerous Heroes 5-0 CPUT Ladies
Goal Hunters 5-3 Magic Ladies
Dangerous Heroes 1-0 Goal Hunters
Magic Ladies 4-0 CPUT Ladies
Group C
Ubuntu Football Academy 3-0 Real Brazilians
Santos 3-0 Badgers Ladies
Santos 4-2 Real Brazilians
Ubuntu Football Academy 5-0 Badgers Ladies
Group D
RV United 2-0 Stellenbosch FC
Rygersdal 2-0 Salt River Blackpool
Stellenbosch 1-1 Salt River Blackpool
RV United 1-0 Rygersdal
