PORT ELIZABETH – Pitso Mosimane couldn’t stand his team’s penalty shootouts in the Telkom Knockout quarter-finals, walking down the tunnel before his Mamelodi Sundowns’ team converted their spot-kicks 4-3 against Chippa United to progress to the semi-final of the competition, where they’ll play Golden Arrows.
The Brazilians finished today’s match 2-2 in extra time with the Chilli Boys at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
With his counterpart, the Kaizer Chiefs’ coach, Ernst Middendorp here to watch Chippa ahead their Premiership clash on Wednesday, Sundowns’ coach Mosimane had ample reason to progress to the semi-final of the Telkom Knockout competition.
The two teams might meet on the final as Chiefs will meet Maritzburg United.
Mosimane and Middendorp were on each other’s neck in the last two weeks, the former citing that Amakhosi have been beneficiaries of poor officiating in the recent matches, hence they are sitting comfortably summit of the Premiership standings with 22 points, five adrift the Brazilians.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sundowns?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Sundowns #DownsLive #TKO2019 pic.twitter.com/DymjeaoJZ6
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana)
Despite the provocation, Middendorp kept his cool, defeating arch-rivals Orlando Pirates in the Telkom Knockout quarter-final clash 4-2 on the lottery of penalty shootouts after the match had ended 2-2 at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The chances of Mosimane scheduling another meeting with Middendorp this year, looked to have suffered a blow from outset as the Chilli Boys struck first from a well taken goal by Augustine Kwem.
Inside Sundowns’ final third, Tercious Malepe dispossessed Sibusiso Vilakazi before setting-up an unmarked Kwem, who easily slotted past a helpless Denis Onyango.
The Brazilians continue to huff and puff in search of an equaliser, but the South American front trio – Ali Meza, Mauricio Affonso and Gaston Sirino – couldn’t seamlessly click in front of goal.
In his first start of the season, Affonso had a chance to grab his fourth goal of the season, however, he just seemed inactive on the day.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/ChippaUnitedFC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChippaUnitedFC2(3) - 2(4) @Masandawana
We bow out of the @TelkomKnockout 2019 #ayeyechilliboyzayeye pic.twitter.com/HexW5SGJui
— Chippa United FC (@ChippaUnitedFC)
In the later stages of the first stanza, Tebogo Langerman sent a telling cross inside the box but Patrick Tingyemb, inside the box, misjudged the ball before, an unmarked, Affronso skied his header into the stands.
Another South American, Sirino, nearly brought his team back to the game, but, he was also unfortunate, his shot taking a deflecting before coming off the woodwork, with Tingyemb flat-footed,
While the Brazilians couldn’t find a finishing the footing in front of goal, Norman Mapeza’s men had a direct approach when they were in possession.
Onyango, however, came to his team’s rescue a number of times but it was his one-on-one duel with Lehlogonolo Masalesa that kept the score-line a bit respective heading to half-time.
The Brazilians grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck in the second half, equalising five minutes after the restart of play.
Substitute Phakamani Mahlambi, who had replaced Meza, made an instant contribution, winning a penalty for his team after he was fouled inside the box by Kelvin Moyo.
Having been found by a telling ball inside Sundowns’ box, Silas Maziya laced home a curler that rolled into Onyango bottom’s bottom corner.
Sundowns had a response, soon after. Sirino grabbed his brace, and an equaliser, following a blunder from Tingyemb, who’s butter-fingers put the ball at the feet of the American.
But that score-line ensured that the two teams went into extra-time, a period that saw Tercious Malepe getting his marching orders for his altercation with the referee, Luxolo Badi, before the match went to penalty shootouts.
Sundowns were the most accurate, converting four of their five kicks, while Chippa put pas three behind Onyango.