Johannesburg - Zimbabwean Abbas Amidu struck four times as Premiership strugglers Black Leopards edged amateur side Cape Town All Stars 5-4 in extra time in Polokwane on Wednesday night to reach the second round of the Nedbank Cup.
Amidu got the hosts on the scoresheet in the 10th minute when he stormed through the All Stars’ defence and thundered the ball into the back of the net from outside the area.
The visitors showed fighting spirit throughout the match, getting on the scoresheet midway through the first half, but four minutes later Amidu netted his brace, with a tap in from close range, to put the hosts back in front as they took the lead going into the break.
The Cape Town outfit did well to hold off their fancied opponents for much of the second half, but Raymond Monama came close to pushing them further on the back foot when he slammed an attempt against the crossbar with 15 minutes left in regulation time.
A flurry of goals in the latter stages could have caused an upset, with Ismaeel Stanfield scoring from the penalty spot to equalise again for All Stars with time running out.
And while Monama hit back two minutes later to keep Leopards in control, Brian Kgafane scored the third goal for the fighting All Stars side with seconds remaining, extending the match to extra time.
Leopards surged ahead shortly after the restart, with a Monama cross finding Amidu in the box, and the Zimbabwean headed home to regain the lead for the hosts.
Again the third-tier outfit struck back, however, scoring from a set piece to keep them in the game.
Their luck ran out in the dying stages, with Amidu scoring his fourth goal to save Leopards' blushes, booking a place for the top-flight team in the last 16 stage of the cup competition. - Sapa