Flames legend John Maduka guided South African side Bloemfontein Celtic to second cup final in three months after beating holders SuperSport United 1-0 (2-1 on aggregate) in the MTN 8 Cup on Saturday.
This is the first time Celtic have reached the MTN Top 8 Cup final since 2005. The Malawian proved his coaching credentials after also helping Celtic to reach the Nedbank Cup final for the first time in 35 years but lost to eventual winners Mamelodi Sundowns two months ago.
“Victor Letsoalo scored the only goal of the match a few minutes after the restart and Phunya Sele Sele will now take part in their second final in 2020 after finishing as runners-up. Celtic will now take on either Kaizer Chiefs or Orlando Pirates in the final after winning the semi-final tie 2-1 on aggregate, while the defending champions Super Sport were eliminated from the tournament,” www.goal.com reported Sunday.
The 50-year old former Flames captain said he was desperate to win silverware this year.
“It is very important for us to go out there and win the cup for the team. It has been a long time. This is our second cup final in 2020 and we just hope that things go well. This is the third time we have gone into the final in recent years. We did not win in the previous two,” Maduka was quoted as saying.
According to South African media, Celtic reached the Telkom Knockout Cup final in 2017 but lost to defunct Bidvest Wits.
South Africa-based Malawian sports journalist, Benjamin Nyirenda said it was high time Football Association of Malawi started investing in him.
“Maduka is a very humble coach and person. He is still willing to learn more. His belief in mixing the youth with experience is working for the team. The players believe in him and he believes in the players he has at his disposal. As a coach he has done very well for himself,” he added.