While the MTN8 eluded Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane yet again, it appears Benni McCarthy has a love affair with this competition.
In a repeat of last season’s final, Cape Town City will face SuperSport United on September 29 in a venue yet to be decided by the Premier Soccer League.
This comes after City held off Sundowns 4-2 on penalties on Sunday after the match ended 1-0 to Masandawana after 90 minutes, which made the aggregate score 1-1.
City came to Atteridgeville with a single goal advantage from last weekend’s first leg in the Mother City, and were determined to not only protect it, but add to their tally as well.
However, they found a Sundowns side in a mean mood. The Brazilians had not been able to score a goal in their last four matches, a crisis that had cost them a place in the quarter-finals of the Caf Champions League several days earlier at the same venue against Guinea’s Horoya.
Toni Silva put an end to that dry spell when he finished off a move that was started by midfielder Themba Zwane’s long-range attempt from outside the box to try and test goalkeeper Peter Leeuwenburgh.
The ball rebounded on to the path of striker Ali Meza, who squared the ball across to Silva to guide into the net.
But Sundowns needed a few more if they were to reach the final. It wasn’t to be, and they were forced into the lottery of penalties.
Leeuwenburgh was the hero for the visitors, able to deny Silva this time around as well as Anthony Laffor.
City scored all four of their penalties to book a date in the final with SuperSport, who beat Kaizer Chiefs 3-2 on aggregate on Saturday night at FNB Stadium.
A horror week for Sundowns ended with them being eliminated from two competitions in a single week.
This means that they will now only focus on their domestic commitments and retaining their league title, before turning their attention to the Champions League again later in December.
McCarthy will be desperate to win his first cup in only two years as a top-flight coach.
Ditto Kaitano Tembo at SuperSport. He might have been an assistant during the time Matsatsantsa reached five cup finals in the last three years, but this is all his doing, and he will want to go all the way.
The Fifa break and one or two league matches in the next few weeks give both coaches time to work on their squads ahead of the final, which will be a thriller if the last time they met is anything to go by.
HERO. @pleeuwenburgh #MTN8Final pic.twitter.com/uqCXvMkuk0
— Cape Town City FC (@CapeTownCityFC) September 2, 2018