Southern FAZ Provincial Division One League side Play It Forward has sailed to the quarterfinals of the 2026 Absa Cup after beating Makeni All Stars 2-1 at Nkoloma Stadium on Monday.

Play It Forward came from behind to down the ZPL National League leaders in a dramatic turnaround.

Speaking in a post-match interview, Play It Forward head coach Starford Manda said progressing to the next round will give his players more exposure at the big stage.

“Actually, we learnt a lot. The thing is, when you are a soldier, you go somewhere late. You have to wait to see sometimes opponents, how they are coming. You don’t know their strong side or weakness. So we decided first to defend before we attacked them. That’s why you see the first half. We were on the defence. We were defending. So the second half, we decided since we observe them, we know their weaknesses, so we decided to start attacking.”

He added, “Any team. My boys are ready to face any team. Even Premier or national leagues, they know what they want in life. That’s why you see they are working extra hard.”

Manda believes the ABSA Cup has given his boys a chance to be seen at the national stage, stressing that winning K1.1 million will be a cherished bonus.

“What I can say especially is that we are playing this tournament, and now is the chance for the boys to show their talents so that maybe they can play in this big league. So it’s for them now to show their talents. The thing is, I want to give them a chance so that they show their talents ” the gaffer stated.

Meanwhile, Makeni All Stars coach Francis Majaka described the defeat as a bitter pill.
He observed that some players might have underrated their opponents.

“It’s a bitter pill to swallow this loss. But anyway, maybe it’s better for us to concentrate on winning promotion to the Premier League,” said Majaka.

“Some of them, I think they did, but football is how it is, especially for the cup games. It’s very unpredictable and difficult to win.”