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Cape Town - Platinum Stars head coach Cavin Johnson says he is incredibly proud of his squad after they progressed to the play-offs of the CAF Confederation Cup.
Dikwena overturned a 1-0 deficit from the first-round tie against Ugandan side Vipers, to win 3-1 at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, with an overall 3-2 aggregate score.
Goalkeeper Mbongeni Mzimela opened the scoring in the first minute from the penalty spot before Ndumiso Mabena doubled the lead before the break.
Milton Karisa pulled one back for the visitors to put them in pole position to advance on the away goals rule, but Mzimela grabbed his brace in stoppage time with another penalty for a sensational victory.
Johnson, who said earlier this year that the Premiership side will take the continental competition seriously, are joined by domestic rivals SuperSport United, who beat Al Ahly Shendy, and Bidvest Wits, who were knocked out in the Champions League first-round by Egyptian giants Al Ahly.
All three sides will feature in the play-off fixture over two-legs, for a spot in the group stage of the second-tier continental showpiece.
"Credit must go to the players for trying their utmost. To go to the next round, the players are excited," he told IOL. "I think the club should be proud of the players. Most importantly we should be proud of our backroom staff as well.
"To get where we are, it was also things behind the football because we have been playing three competitions - Nedbank Cup, PSL, and CAF. To have players that are fresh in the last two months, we have to give credit to the people that do work behind the scenes," Johnson added.
"We must also applaud the players who stick to the training regime outside and inside of football."
