Kamohelo Mokotjo and Feyenoord shocked in Europa League
Bad night, good draw for Saffas
Posted: 2010-08-27 08:30
It was a disastrous night for South Africans in the Uefa Europa League on Thursday as all three remaining in the competition saw their sides bow out.
Perhaps most surprising was the 2-0 loss for Dutch side Feyenoord at Belgian outfit Gent, where Siboniso Gaxa is hoping to win a contract. Kamohelo Mokotjo was on the bench for the Dutch, the closest he has come to playing this season, but their defeat means they lose out 2-1 on aggregate.
Anele Ngcongca played the full 90 minutes as his KRC Genk team lost 4-2 against FC Porto for a 7-2 aggregate defeat. Though his side was outplayed over the two legs, it will have been a valuable experience for the Bafana Bafana right-back to play such quality opposition.
Cheyne Fowler and his Finnish outfit HJK Helsinki lost 4-0 at home to Turkish side Besiktas to bow out 6-0 on aggregate.
Meanwhile, the draw for the group stages of the Uefa Champions League sees the South African entrants play some plumb ties.
Macbeth and his Rubin Kazan team face the might of Barcelona for the second season in a row and will have fond memories of last year when they secured a shock 2-1 win at the Camp Nou.
Also in their group is Bryce Moon's Greek team Panathinaikos, though he is likely to be with Ajax Cape Town by the time the fixture comes around, and Danish side FC Copenhagen.
With Kazan a difficult place to go and play, and with the experience of last season, Rubin might well feel they have a real chance of finishing in the top two in the pool.
Bafana striker Bernard Parker will also be relishing his draw with FC Twente. They go to champions Inter Milan, English Premiership side Tottenham Hotspur and German side Werder Bremen.
Bevan Fransman and Hapoel Tel Aviv have a lower profile draw as they take on French side Lyon, Portuguese outfit Benfica and the Germans Schalke.
: 2010-08-27 10:25
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