Cape Town City boss Eric Tinkler singled out teen sensation Luphumlo Sifumba as the only bright spark in Saturday’s 2-1 PSL defeat at Orlando Pirates.
With the fifth-placed Citizens looking to make a late push for African qualification, they let slip an early lead and fell 11 points behind third-placed Bucs - in the Caf Confederation Cup spot - with four games left.
City simply lacked control in the match, losing the ball sloppily, with Tinkler saying post-match: “Our possession game was extremely poor.
Here's how Luphumlo Sifumba fared with his first taste of football in the #DStvPrem
— Cape Town City FC (@CapeTownCityFC) April 24, 2023
◼️ Shot on target 🎯
◼️ Switch of play 🔥
Positive impact from our 17 year old! ♥️ pic.twitter.com/mmtAIjzO49
“That’s the disappointment. Because that is our strength.”
Turning to 17-year-old attacking midfielder Sifumba with six minutes to play, the highly-rated laaitie showed his promise with a late shot from outside the area.
Proud of you, Kaka 👊
— Cape Town City FC (@CapeTownCityFC) April 24, 2023
🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦 17yr old Luphumlo Sifumba made his first appearance in the #DStvPrem this past weekend. pic.twitter.com/E3BuY8QtpQ
Quoted in iDiski Times, Tinkler says of the kid: “With Sifumba, I probably made a mistake and should have brought him on earlier.
“But it’s Pirates, we were under a lot of pressure through the middle there. But I thought the youngster came in and showed good character, showed good confidence, composure – I think he has a bright future, step, by step.”