THOHOYANDOU – Highlandspark Silver Stars booked a place in the semifinal stage of the prestigious Coca-Cola KO Competition. They unexpectedly beat Moroka Swallows Football Club 2-1 in a highly attended match that was played at the Thohoyandou Stadium on Saturday evening.

The speedy forward of Stars, Dingaan Masanabo, caused an upset when he shot wide from outside the Swallows' danger area, after receiving a neat pass from Jabulani Nkosi in the 12th minute. Alois Ngwerume, who scored Swallows' solitary and winning goal in their league game against Silver Stars last month, opened his team's account on Saturday. He caught the Stars' keeper, Johannes Diale, off-guard and headed home in the 28th minute.

The home side found the equaliser in the 40th minute. Mduduzi Kunene tried his luck from 35 metres and the Swallows' keeper, Greg Etafia, suffered the pain of watching the ball going beyond his reach.

Dingaan Masanabo missed another chance early in the second half, when he shot straight to the keeper, after receiving a loose ball outside the box. Masanabo was later replaced with Thato Maleka.

The referee, Walter Mochubela, was left with no option except to stop the game for 24 minutes, following a technical problem that affected the floodlights.

The midfielder of Swallows, Sibongakonke Ndlovu, was cautioned with a card for obstruction on Mduduzi Kunene in the 60th minute. Three minutes later, the Stars' killer striker, Surprise Moriri, was also reprimanded for trying to cheat the referee.

The moment of the truth came in the 78th minute when a substitute, Thato Maleka, dribbled past two defenders in a row and released a ground cutter that left Greg Etafia flatfooted. Swallows came back strongly, but they could not find their way through the Stars' defence.