Sibanye give Sundowns a scare in Loftus Nedbank Cup thriller

Mihlali Baleka

MAMELODI SUNDOWNS (3)(5)

Khoza 2’, Matthews 14’, 41’, Sales 69’, Kodisang 90+5

SIBANYE GOLDEN STARS (0)(2)

Mokhatla 54’, Rankai 61’

Mamelodi Sundowns escaped Sibanye Golden Stars by a whisker to progress to the Nedbank Cup last 16 after initially invading their mineshaft like possessed Zamas Zamas!

Sundowns, owned by mining mogul Patrice Motsepe, mined Sibanye 3-0 in the first half, but they settled for a nervy 5-2 win after a poor, clumsy finish.

Sundowns’ win ensured that they are on course to win their seventh Ke Yona Cup in the PSL era, and possible make-up for last season’s loss to Orlando Pirates in the final.

Sibanye, who boasted a handful of supporters on the stands, will be proud of their exploits, especially after pushing Sundowns to the limit in the second half.

This match, which was played at Loftus Versfeld, could have easily been played in Chloorkop in the first half as Sundowns were in their training mode here. They hardly broke a sweat.

The Brazilians seem to have rendered this match as a no contest by half-time as they were three goals to the good, while goalkeeper Ronwen Williams was on a mini vacation.

The 5-2 scoreline in the end might perhaps suggest that, but this match will go a long way in the livelihood of some of Sibanye’s players.

The team from Virginia, a gold mining town, is largely made up of miners, and so, it was quite some experience that some of them played in a World Cup venue, and made rare television appearances.

Add to the fact, they’ll also give themselves a pat on the back for fighting back to make the scoreline respectable, especially since Sundowns molested Powerlines 24-0 in the same stage and competition 13 years ago.

The Brazilians’ coach Miguel Cardoso, who said they’d respect their opponents, gave a chance to his fringe players, making 10 changes to the team that beat Magesi in the league on Wednesday.

His changes stuck to the script early on. They proved the gulf in quality as they mined Sibanye not only for goals, but possession in the first half.

The hot weather conditions, which the miners are probably used to, dropped by kick-off (6pm), allowing the Brazilians to harness their tools and dig Sibanye bare.

Incredibly, the only remaining member from the midweek team, Malibongwe Khoza, was the first to extract a mineral from the miners.

The lanky centre-back headed home Tashreeq Matthews’ corner which had received a flick-back from Arthur Sales who was making his third assist in back-to-back games.

Matthews clearly had the master shovel. He moved around with ease, and was the conductor of the orchestra, making his team tick in the heart of the engine room.

The No.17 would get his reward and hands on a mineral. That came in some style. Kutlwano Letlhaku put him through on goal before he rounded Velile Xankase and passed the ball into an empty net.

Sibanye did their best to fight back. Except they used their spades and shovel incorrectly, tackling Sundowns’ players to the need of referee Xola Sitela to caution them.

Sundowns’ dangerman yet again put his tools into good use, intercepting Xankase’s poor goal kick before getting the ‘golden third goal’ for his side after blasting the roof of the net from close-range.

But boy, the Brazilians incredibly put their tools down in the first 15 minutes of the second half, and the legal miners did what they do best: try to fight back to secure their territory.

Mafanyane Mokitimi did well to break Sundowns’ line with a through ball that found Mojalefa Mokhatla on the right. The latter drilled a grasscutter past Ronwen Williams.

The miners were surprisingly back in the game thereafter as Mokhatla sat down Mosa Lebusa inside the box before laying the shovel nicely for Boeletsang Rankali to drill past Williams.

On the brink of being embarrassed if Sibanye were to equalise, Sundowns bought some breathing space between them and the miners as Sales scored their fourth.

There was a debut for Sundowns’ new man Jayden Adams, but their second half’s woes were laid bare as Bathusi Aubaas received his second successive red card after elbowing Mokhatla needlessly.

Kobamelo Kodisang put the final nail in the coffin of the miners in stoppage time as Sundowns escaped their shaft with the skin of their teeth to reach the second round of the Ke Yona Cup.