Mamelodi Sundowns were made to sweat for a 4-3 win over University of Pretoria on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the Nedbank Cup quarterfinals at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Fright night.
Masandawana became the first team to reach this season’s Nedbank Cup semifinals and they will now turn their attention to their DStv Premiership encounter against Moroka Swallows which is scheduled to take place on April 15 in Soweto.
AmaTuks, on the other hand, saw their fairytale run in the South African FA Cup come to an end and they now prepare for their Motsepe Foundation Championship match against Maritzburg United which is set to be played on 16 April in Durban.
Masandawana unsurprisingly enjoyed most of the possession and they broke the deadlock as early as the eighth minute. Lucas Ribeiro was afforded space and time to score with a wonderful long-range strike to hand Sundowns a 1-0 lead with goalkeeper Edward Maova rooted to the ground.
However, AmaTuks were brave enough to launch attacks and they managed to level matters in the 38th minute. Delano Abrahams levelled matters with a decent finish after the DStv Premiership champions’ poor marking was exposed and the score was 1-1 during the halftime break in the Tshwane Derby.
Sundowns exerted pressure on the hosts after the restart, but their shots were blocked and they also missed the target. Coach Rhulani Mokwena decided to introduce quality attackers Thembinkosi Lorch and Gaston Sirino just two minutes after the hour-mark as the visitors looked to restore their lead.
However, Tuks looked dangerous on the counter and Abrahams’ powerful shot was well-saved by keeper Ronwen Williams in the 79th minute having been set up by Samuel Julies. Ultimately, the match ended in a 1-1 draw in regulation time and extra-time followed.
Eventual Man of the Match Maova frustrated Masandawana in extra-time as he denied Bathusi Aubaas and Peter Shalulile, and the game had to be decided by a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw. Sundowns went on to win 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw with Williams saving two spot-kicks.
SOURCED FROM THE PSL WEBSITE.
