Mamelodi Sundowns were out in Gqeberha last weekend for the inaugural Home of Legends Cup, which took place at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. For the semifinal, they were pitted against a Chippa United side they were able to defeat to advance to the final round, where they met Kaizer Chiefs, who had earlier defeated Golden Arrows to meet Downs in the final.
At 13H00, Downs’ first encounter kicked off, with both sides looking to advance to the final. After 30 minutes of looking to find the back of the net, Siyanda Msani broke the deadlock for Masandawana, but five minutes later, the hosts equalised.
The fight continued, and by the time the full-time whistle was blown, the two sides were tied with one goal apiece. The match went straight to penalties, where the Brazilians went on to win 5-3. Lucas Ribeiro, Neo Maema, Kutlwano Letlhaku, Malibongwe Khozaand Arthur Sales were the penalty takers that helped their team to soar to the final.
The final kicked off at 17H00 at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, where coach Manqoba Mngqithi’s men met the Glamour Boys for the third time this season. With both sides consolidated with both young and experienced players, the fixture promised to be an exciting one.
The encounter was tight as Kaizer Chiefs dominated the opening half while the Tshwane-based side struggled to create clear-cut chances. With no goals at the break from both sides, Masandawana looked hungrier to make it three victories over the Soweto-based side, as they dominated the second stanza.
Despite the good football displayed in Gqeberha, the match went straight to penalties after the two sides were deadlocked at 0-0 at the end of 90 minutes.
After five penalties, the two sides were deadlocked at four netted goals, forcing the encounter to go to sudden death. Bafana Ba Style went down after missing the sudden death shot, while their opponent was able to put the ball past the keeper.
Coach Manqoba’s charges will now shift their focus back to the Carling Knockout Cup as they continue to prepare for the final against Magesi FC. The final will take place on Saturday at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein. Kick-off has been scheduled for 18H00.
SOURCED FROM THE CLUB’S WEBSITE.
