Fans at the Sugar Ray Zulu Stadium in Cleremont were treated to an exciting afternoon of football in Day 6 of the second edition of the Durban U19 International on Monday, 3 August.
The first contention for a spot in the semifinal was between German giants, VFB Stuttgart and Turkish side, Galatasaray, which saw the Germans comfortably, secure a spot through a 3 – 1 victory in the first game of the day.
Stuttgart captain, Jan Ferdinand led by example with the opener in the 21st minutes when he slotted home just outside the box to give his side the lead going into the break.
The second half saw Galatasaray come back more organized and determined to get the equalizer and it was in the 50th minute that Muhammet Yesilyurt leveled matters through a well-taken free kick.
However, the swiftness of the Germans proved to be too much for Galatasaray as goals from Georgios Spanoudakis and Dijon Ramaj sealed a place for VFB Stuttgart in the semifinals of the tournament.
In the second match of the day, the South African U19 Team had to fight hard to become the fourth and final team in the semifinals after an impressive performance against AC Milan in the group decider. Goals from Keletso Makgalwa and Karabo Ngwenya in the 33rd and 38th minute respectively, were enough to see the South Africans through to the next round of the tournament.
Meanwhile, the semi-finals of the Durban Under-19 International Football Tournament have been moved to the King Zwelithini Stadium.
The switch from the Princess Magogo Stadium is due to the pitch at the original venue, which has been deemed not up to the required standard for an international tournament.
The semifinals, which will see the top side in Group A take on the second-placed side in Group B and vice-versa, will be played on Wednesday at 15h00 and 17h15.
Durban U19 International Tournament Semi Final Fixtures:
PSV Eindhoven vs South Africa U19 15h00
VFB Stuttgart vs Arsenal 17h15