South African footballers continued to make their presence felt across several leagues on Saturday, October 31, with Olwethu Makhanya securing a place in a European cup final while Puso Dithejane and Relebohile Mofokeng also contributed to victories for their respective clubs.

The biggest achievement came in Scotland, where Makhanya helped Rangers defeat Aberdeen 1-0 in the Scottish League Cup semi-final at Hampden Park. The Bafana Bafana defender started and completed the entire match as Rangers secured their place in the final. Ryan Naderi scored the decisive goal in the 83rd minute, moving the Glasgow side one step closer to silverware.

In the United States, Chicago Fire recorded an impressive 4-2 victory over Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer. Mbekezeli Mbokazi returned from suspension and played the full match in defence, while Dithejane entered the game in the 87th minute. The South African attacker needed only a minute to make his contribution, scoring Chicago’s fourth goal in the 88th minute. The victory kept Chicago fourth in the Eastern Conference and secured their playoff qualification.

Belgium also provided a positive result for Mofokeng and Union Saint-Gilloise, who defeated Beveren 2-1. The South African attacker was involved in the move that produced his team’s opening goal before being substituted in the 84th minute.

In Botswana, Mochudi Centre Chiefs returned to winning ways with a 3-1 victory over Prisons XI. The team, coached by former South African international Reneilwe Letsholonyane, secured an important league result.

Aden McCarthy experienced disappointment in Azerbaijan as Sabah suffered their first league defeat of the season, losing 3-2 to Turan Tovuz. The defender was introduced at half-time with his team already trailing 2-0, but Sabah could not complete a comeback.

Meanwhile, Yusuf Maart came on in the 72nd minute as Austrian side SV Ried drew 1-1 away against Altach. Ried initially took the lead through Isaac Thelin, but Altach equalised in stoppage time.

From Scotland to the United States and Belgium, the weekend offered a mixture of milestones, important victories and difficult results for South African players abroad.

Source: https://x.com/soccer_laduma/status/2116803264641368315?s=46