Sundowns Edge Golden Arrows to Reach MTN8 Final
Mamelodi Sundowns booked their place in the MTN8 final after edging Lamontville Golden Arrows 3-2 in a thrilling semifinal second leg at King Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi on Sunday.
The result saw the two sides finish level at 3-3 on aggregate, with Sundowns progressing on the away-goals rule. Masandawana will now meet Orlando Pirates in the final.
Miguel Cardoso’s side made the most of their opportunities in a closely contested encounter, despite Arrows producing a determined second-half fightback. Sundowns enjoyed the majority of possession in the opening stages, while Abafana Bes’thende adopted a more cautious approach and looked to threaten on the counter-attack.
Teboho Mokoena was booked in the 17th minute for halting Nhlanhla Zwane’s promising transition, but Sundowns remained in control and eventually found the breakthrough.
The visitors opened the scoring in the 31st minute following a well-worked attacking move. Marcelo Allende combined quickly inside the Arrows penalty area before setting up Cassius Mailula, who calmly finished to register his fourth goal of the season.
Arrows responded strongly after the interval and were rewarded for their pressure in the 68th minute.
Ronaldo van Neel delivered a dangerous cross into the Sundowns box, where Sede Junior Dion reacted quickest to fire past the goalkeeper and make it 1-1. The goal was Dion’s third in as many matches.
Sundowns regained the lead nine minutes later when Allende found the back of the net in the 77th minute after Antonio van Wyk’s cross was initially blocked. The Chilean midfielder, who was later named Man of the Match, proved decisive for the visitors.
Van Wyk then put the result beyond Arrows’ reach in the 85th minute, scoring to make it 3-1 and underline the impact of his introduction from the bench.
Philani Khumalo reduced the deficit during stoppage time, but Arrows could not find another goal to force the tie in their favour.
Sundowns can now shift their focus to their Betway Premiership campaign, with a clash against Milford FC scheduled for September 2.
For Arrows, the MTN8 exit brings their cup campaign to an end, but they will have an immediate opportunity to respond when they host Sundowns in the league on September 6.