In a KickOff exclusive interview, goalkeeper Siphamandla Hleza opens up on how he played while injured to deliver a Man of the Match performance as Milford sent Kaizer Chiefs crashing out of the Nedbank Cup.
In a classical David and Goliath encounter, Milford shocked 13-time Nedbank Cup winners Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium on Sunday evening.
The visitors defeated Amakhosi 5-4 in the penalty shootout after a goalless draw in normal and added time.
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The hero of the day was undoubtedly Hleza, who saved a Ranga Chivaviro penalty in the first half of extra-time to keep his side in the match and scored the winning penalty in the shootout.
Interestingly though, Hleza was very nearly ruled out of the encounter after a suffering injury to his hand just days before the titanic encounter against Amakhosi.
However, the resilient shot-stopper would not miss a chance to help his side record an upset and was back at training on Friday, paying through the injury on Sunday.
"My heart was broken [when I got injured] because I felt like I let my teammates down," Hleza tells Kickoff.
"Injuries are things you can't control, they happen all the time, especially when you are a football player. So, I couldn't train on Tuesday, the pain was just too unbearable.
"But I pushed to at least train by Friday. It was my left thumb, even then I was struggling a lot. But today, I knew that playing against Kaizer Chiefs is a rare opportunity for anyone. I had to risk it. I'm glad everything worked out for us and I'm proud of my teammates and coach.
The penalty that sealed a famous victory for Milford. ??????'?? ?????? ?????? ???? ????????????. ?? #NedbankCuppic.twitter.com/ZGOLK3SpAO
— Nedbank Sport (@nedbanksport) February 25, 2024
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With the win, Milford became the last team to join the last 16 rounds of matches and may look to draw inspiration from the likes of Dondol Stars and Baroka in a list of lower division teams who went as far as the semi-finals of the cup competition.
Meanwhile, Having already lost out on the Carling Knockout, MTN8 and now the Nedbank Cup, Chiefs can only turn their attention to the DStv Premiership where they take on Moroka Swallows on Saturday.