It wasn’t vintage Sundowns, as they first had to battle the elements and then a very organised Marumo Gallants side to try and reach the final.
Mamelodi Sundowns have set up a David and Goliath Carling Knockout Cup final with Magesi FC after they beat Marumo Gallants 2-0 in their semi-final at the Seisa Ramabodu Stadium in Bloemfontein on Sunday.
It wasn’t vintage Sundowns, as they first had to battle the elements and then a very organised Marumo Gallants side to try and reach the final. It took two cheeky penalties by Lucas Ribeiro and a second half stoppage-time strike by Neo Maema to seal the deal for Sundowns.
Heavy rains saw a rather sloppy start to the match, with both teams struggling to get a foothold in the game. However, there were some big chances in the first half for both teams, with Sundowns’ Namibian striker Peter Shalulile heading wide, while their goalkeeper Ronwen Williams had to make a few good saves to keep Gallants out.
Sundowns finally broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute after they were awarded a penalty after Lebohang Mabotja was penalised for handling Shalulile’s cross in the Gallants box.
Ribeiro then stepped up and chipped Gallants goalkeeper Washington Arubi with a panenka penalty to give Sundowns the lead.
The sun eventually came out, and Gallants started to create chances of their own. But Sundowns would make sure of the result in the last minute of stoppage time.
Maema finished off a wonderful team move, by riffling a left-footed shot in off the left-hand post, giving the Sundowns bench a chance to relax.
On Saturday, Magesi FC progressed to the final after they beat Richards Bay 1-0 in Umlazi.
The final of the Carling Knockout Cup will be played at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on November 23.
