Jayden Adams’ heroics on the 119th minute – a minute before the full time whistle was blown in extra time – has seen Mamelodi Sundowns snatch the remaining seat in the Nedbank Cup semifinal bus. This comes after defeating Sekhukhune United 1-0 on Friday night at the Lucas Moripe Stadium.
Having been defeated twice already this season by Downs, Babina Noko gave the hosts a run for their money, not making it easy for them to take the last spot in the semifinal. With how physically demanding and exciting the game was, it was evident both sides were hungry for the last semifinal spot. The Sekhukhune defence was on guard from the moment the kick-off whistle was blown. A big chance was seen coming from Terrence Mashego but his shot that was aiming for glory was intercepted by a defender’s stretch of a leg.
It was not just all about defending for the visitors. They also made efforts to see goals in favour of them. There were two efforts made which threatened the Downs rearguard. The first ball was cleared out in the danger area through a clearing shot and the other was caught by captain Ronwen Williams.
Iqraam Rayners also wanted to add his name on the scoresheet of the night. He kept the ball alive on the left flank and from a tight angle, he could see he wouldn’t be able to get it right, so he made a cross to find Arthur Sales but the ball got cleared before Sales got to it.
A free-kick was awarded to the visitors after a challenge outside the box. The position was perfect for Babina Noko to break the deadlock but Williams was on high alert as he bucketed a low shot effort that could have gone past the goal line.
To conclude the first half, the hosts almost opened the scoring just before the interval. The ball came from a corner kick which was received by Sales. He passed the ball to the backpost and Grant Kekana headed it towards goal but the Sekhukhune United goalkeeper smacked it away to deny the hosts a lead. The two sides were deadlocked at 0-0 at the break.
The second half was more exciting and both sides were ready for the titanic tussle. Bafana Ba Style started to play with a bit of urgency as they looked for a goal. They looked threatening and the speed of attack showed that the objective was to get goals.
There was one person who stood between the Brazilians and getting goals, the goalkeeper who stopped over eight Downs big chances in the second half. After stretching his leg out to deny Matias Esquivel a goal, the keeper followed up with a double save. Zuko Mdunyelwa had activated his dribbling spells on the right flank to go past the Sekhukhune defence. He made a cross to Rayners who was facing goal. Rayners fired a shot and the keeper blocked it with his foot. Sales found the rebound and tried to head the ball in but he too, saw his effort blocked by the keeper. For the rest of the second half, the golie denied Downs goals.
To find a winner for this quarterfinal round, 30 minutes of extra time were added. The goalkeeper picked up where he left off and continued defending the ball from finding the net. Another big chance fell on the lap of the hosts. Peter Shalulile made a beautiful pass to find Lucas Ribeiro whose effort was denied. Marcello Allende found the rebound and his effort was also blocked.
After a long battle between the two sides, with just a minute left in extra time, the Babina Noko goalkeeper became a victim of Adams’ resilience. After a good run to the left and dribbling his way past the defenders, Thapelo Morena’s shot was tipped away by the keeper and the ball fell into Adams’ feet. He did not waste time as he fired it into the net, winning the game for his side. Mamelodi Sundowns will meet Kaizer Chiefs in the semifinals. The date, time and venue will be communicated in due course.
How we lined up: Williams, Kekana, Suarez, Mdunyelwa, Allende, Esquivel, Cupido, Mashego, Maema, Sales, Rayners.
Subs: Onyango, Khoza, Morena, Tiwani, Mokoena, Adams, Maseko, Ribeiro, Shalulile.
