POLOKWANE – Baroka FC marched into the quarter-finals of the Telkom Knockout after a hard-fought 2-0 win over Golden Arrows at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday night.
The match was moved from the original kickoff time of 3.30pm to 8.15pm after Arrows had been delayed in getting to Polokwane by a horrific motor vehicle accident on the N1 highway.
In what was a closely-fought encounter with regular chances for both teams, a first-minute goal from Collins Makgaka and another 11 minutes from time by Tebogo Sodi secured the Limpopo club’s place in the next round.
The home side were to get off to a flying start when they scored just 15 seconds into the game, with Makgaka converting a cross.
Buoyed by the bright start, Bakgaga kept their foot on Arrows’ throat as they went in search of more goals.
Slowly, though, the Durban team worked their way back into the game, and they had a chance on goal in the 20th minute as Musa Bilankulu headed wide from a corner.
However, Baroka were still very much a threat, and it took a goal-line clearance by Arrows defender Thabo Molefe to keep his side in the tie at halftime.
The visitors looked to capitalise after the break, and they nearly equalised in the 52nd minute when Lerato Lamola fired marginally wide, after Nduduzo Sibiya’s initial shot had been blocked.
There was another chance for the KZN outfit five minutes later when Frank Motebejane headed just wide from a set-play.
The action was to continue at both ends of the field in an open and fast-paced encounter, before Baroka got their decisive goal, Sodi sending a thumping header into the back of the net after a cross from out wide in the 79th minute.
This was after we beat @goldenarrowsfc12:0 in the 1st round of #TKO2018 #LennaKeMoroka #ThatiCoverBabes #GlobalOilQualityRefined pic.twitter.com/dm4dyKB43n
— Baroka Football Club (@Baroka_FC) October 21, 2018