Former Kaizer Chiefs defender Siyabonga Ngezana celebrated on the pitch with a South African flag after FCSB β formely Steaua Bucharest β booked their place in last 16 of the Europa League on Thursday night.
The Romanian champions beat PAOK 2-0 in the second leg on to secure a 4-1 aggregate win in the knockout phase playoffs after finishing 11th during the league phase of Europeβs second biggest continental club competition.
The Bafana Bafana defender and his team will now face either Lyon or Frankfurt in the next stage, and will be eyeing a possible quarter-final date against English giants Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur.
Earlier in the tournament, Ngezana and FCSB went down 2-0 to Manchester United in the final league phase game in Bucharest. Before the match, 27-year-old was one of players praised by United boss Ruben Amorim.
Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
π‘πππππ‘π ππππππ₯ππ§ππ¦ πͺππ§π π¦π ππππ πΏπ¦
β Sahil Ebrahim (@sahil_e_) February 21, 2025
Moment of magic as Siyabonga Ngezana gets hold of an SA flag from the crowd during FCSB celebrations last night.πΏπ¦
FCSB progressed to the last 16 in Europa League where they will face either Lyonπ«π· or E.Frankfurtπ©πͺβ¦ pic.twitter.com/jy1EOBNbBo
"I know this FCSB team. I've studied it," the Portuguese tactician said ahead of the clash. "They play differently in Europe than in the championship. Sometimes they give up possession, with a fast striker in transition.
"There are two strong central defenders and full-backs who go up and down the whole match," said Amorim.
After a making a strong start where they kept their illustrious opponents at bay for over an hour, United eventually breached their defences and scored two quick goals through Diogo Dalot and Kobbie Mainoo.
For Ngezana, one person who will be keeping an eye on his progress in the Europa League will be Bafana coach Hugo Broos, who is currently preparing to name his team for upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Benin in March, a week after the round of 16 clashes in the Europa League.
IOL Sport