Free State Stars stunned Bidvest Wits 3-0 in the Telkom Knockout Cup at Goble Park Stadium to book their spot in the next round of the tournament.

Gavin Hunt’s side enjoyed most of the possession in the opening exchanges of the match, but struggled to carve out clear-cut opportunities in front of goal.

The Clever Boys were dealt a major blow in the 26th minute when Thabang Monare went down injured and had to be replaced by Ben Motshwari.

Meanwhile, Ea Lla Koto started to gain momentum as the game went on and started seeing a bit more possession, although they had limited chances going forward.

The Clever Boys’ first real chance at goal came in the 32nd minute when Elias Pelembe cut inside before blazing his effort against the crossbar from close range.

However, the woodwork came to Stars’ rescue once again when a header from Gabadinho Mhango hit the upright with Thela Ngobeni well beaten.

Neither side could register a shot on target and the half-time score remained goalless.

However, chances were hard to come by for both sides as they were restricted to taking shots from distance and the game was forced into extra time.

Ea Lla Koto broke the deadlock three minutes into extra time when Moeketsi Sekoal rose well to head the ball home past Wits goalkeeper Darren Keet to make it 1-0.

Stars soon doubled their lead a minute later when Sekola set up Sthembiso Dlamini, who volleyed home from close range to extend their lead to 2-0.

Stars all but sealed the victory in the second half of stoppage time when Danny Venter surged into the box, before calmly slotting the ball into the bottom corner in the 110th minute of the match.

However, the Students did manage to score a consolation goal in the final minute of extra time when Daine Klate beat his marker before firing his effort into the top corner from 20 yards.

Free State Stars held on to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Bidvest Wits to secure their spot in the next round of the Telkom Knockout Cup.

Image: Samuel Shivambu/Backpagepix