The Stellies won their first ever international game this weekend to stand a chance of advancing to the next phase.
Premier Soccer League side Stellenbosch are almost through to the second preliminary round of the Caf Confederation Cup after a convincing 3-0 win over Nsingizini Hotspurs on Saturday.
Despite being the home team, Hotspurs were forced to stage the game away from home, since Eswatini has no stadium that meets the international standards to host the game of a high caliber.
However, they almost took the lead in the 32nd minute to silence Stellies fans at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
Goalkeeper Sage Stephens, who was making his 100th appearance for the club, rose to the occasion to avoid unnecessary early pressure.
De Jong opens the scoring for Stellenbosch
Stephens' save was critical for the Steve Barker-led outfit, because three minutes later, Kyle Jurgens was allowed into the danger zone, and his precise cross found Andre De Jong who tapped home to ease the pressure.
In the 42nd minute, Nsingizini failed to clear the ball in the danger zone, and it kindly fell to Devin Titus who fully capitalised on the advantage to score his team's second and ensure the advantage was good enough after the first half.
The third goal came with 20 minutes to go; the hosts conceded a penalty, and Fawaaz Basadien stepped up to score the third and last goal for the day.
When is the second leg
The result will definitely be welcomed by coach Steve Barker, considering the fact that his team was making its Caf competition debut.
It was sweet for the tactician, especially having lost his two key players – Deano van Rooyen to Orlando Pirates and Iqraam Rayners to Premier Soccer League champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
Stellies will now host Nsingizini on Saturday, August 24 at Athlone Stadium, aiming at finishing the job.
