It takes a special kind of coach to outsmart and humble a renowned cup specialist like Andrew Pequeno.
The fact that Jayrod Visagie and his Ammar Soccer Academy outfit have now done it twice in the space of two weeks speaks volumes after knocking Grassy Park United out of the Nedbank Cup with a dramatic 9-8 penalty shootout victory following a 0-0 draw in Paarl on Tuesday.
What made the victory even more impressive was that Ammar had to play the final 20 minutes with 10 men after Siqhamo Tiwani received his marching orders for an off-the-ball incident.
Despite being a man down, Ammar refused to retreat and continued to take the game to their opponents.
“Yes, we pushed through and still attacked because that’s the best form of defence,” Visagie told No Bones with Jones. “We were tactically flexible and fluid and the guys did what was expected so credit to them.”
Visagie, who previously expressed mixed feelings about the importance of the Nedbank Cup, may now harbour greater ambitions in the competition after guiding his side into the next round. However, he remains firmly focused on league matters.
“The league remains our top priority. It’s our bread and butter,” Visagie stated.
As things stand, Ammar are also on the brink of completing a hat-trick of victories over Pequeno’s Grassy Park side when the teams meet again in the league on Saturday.
“We will see on the day if we can accomplish that,“ concluded the former Ikapa Sporting goalkeeper.
Ammar has been drawn against Kayamandi FC in the semi-final at the Cloetesville Stadium in Stellenbosch next Tuesday.
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