Ex-Kaizer Chiefs star one win away from Champions League dream

Published on by Joel Oliver, updated on

The Bafana Bafana defender played all 90 minutes as his side secured an away draw

Former Kaizer Chiefs defender Siyabonga Ngezana played all 90 minutes of Champions League action for his Romanian club FCSB who managed a 1-1draw away to Sparta Prague.

Ngezana started as one of the two centre-backs in the match played in Prague as the two teams faced off in the first leg of the third qualifying round of the Champions League.

FCSB are looking for a place in the prestigious Champions League group stages which will come with major cash rewards but first, they must go past Sparta.

They got off to a good start when Joyskim Dawa headed Darius Olaru’s corner towards goal before it sneaked in at the near post in the 61st minute but Sparta drew level via a header from substitute Victor Olatunji 12 minutes from time.

Ngezana was given a good rating in the match

The Czech side thought they had stolen it at the death when Kaan Kairinen volleyed home a loose ball in the area, but a VAR check picked out a foul in the build-up to cancel out the goal, meaning FCSB will have home advantage in the second leg next week.

Ngezana was given a Flashscore rating of 6.2 in the match which did not witness many chances.

It is a dream come true for the Chiefs academy graduate who recently explained how thrilled he was after securing Champions League qualification.

“It is still a dream until I test it [playing the Uefa Champions League]. But to me even now it doesn't make sense that [suddenly] I am in Europe and winning the league and being on the verge of playing in the Champions League,” Ngezana told Marawa Sports Worldwide in June.

“It is something that hasn't registered in me yet honestly because that is the big stage [in club level] football.

‘This thing is every footballer's dream’

“You meet all these players that we used to play with or rather use them when we were playing the PlayStation. This thing is every footballer's dream.”

Ngezana joined the club at the start of last season and became a regular, playing 30 league matches, as the Bucharest-based side won the league title.

It earned him a place in the Bafana Bafana squad and started the two World Cup qualifiers against Nigeria and Zimbabwe in June.

He will be hoping that his club can secure victory to make it into the group stages and realise his Champions League dream.

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Joel Oliver

Joel Oliver is a seasoned multimedia sports journalist with a rich background in covering diverse football stories and events in South Africa and beyond.
His extensive coverage spans subjects touching on the PSL, with a focus on the Big Three (Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs & Mamelodi Sundowns), Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana.