Pro Philani looks back at the mid-weekโs Nedbank Cup Round of 32 action, which saw Sundowns, Gallants, Sekhukhune and Dondol Stars all pick up wins.
The cup of dreams claims its first casualty
Dondol Stars of the ABC Motsepe League, an amateur side from Mamelodi defeated neighbours SuperSport United 2-1 on Wednesday night at the Lucas Moripe Stadium.
SuperSport United approached the game with a depleted squad which was full of youngsters from development and a makeshift defence which included Thamsanqa Gabuza at centre back.
Gavin Huntโs side went ahead in the 18th minute from a Siyabonga Nhlaphoโs well taken goal. Dondol Stars had a difficult first half, with an element of naivety and anxiety disrupting their inter-passing game. In the second half, they came back as a different side as they put SuperSport United on a back foot for several times.
The equalizer came in the 51st minute and it gave the Pretoria side much needed confidence to search for a winner. Club captain benefitted from a deflection to give Dondol Stars a lead for the first time. The team from Mamelodi hung on to the lead until the final whistle to leave SuperSport United with an embarrassment of early exit.
Gavin Hunt will look into himself deeply as he suffered yet another early exit in the competition.
๐๐๐๐ก๐ง ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ฆโผ๏ธ
— iDiski Times (@iDiskiTimes) February 8, 2023
Dondol Stars, who play in the Gauteng ABC Motsepe League, have knocked SuperSport United out of the Nedbank Cup after beating them 2-1.
๐๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฅ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฎ๐ด! pic.twitter.com/si1Tnnh6pF
More results:
Sekhukhune United defeated 10-men Liver Brothers 6-0.
Tuesday night results saw defending champions Sundowns beat Richards Bay 3:2 at Loftus. The Brazilians eliminated the Rich Boyz at the same stage last season by a 4 goals margin at the same venue in 2022. The Brazilians will now shift focus to three back-to-back CAF champions league matches before returning to domestic matches in March.
Speaking of CAF matches, Marumo Gallants made light of their work when they eliminated fellow Limpopo side Magesi FC from the Motsepe Foundation, 3-1.
Gallants, who are at the bottom of the log table will be on CAFCC duties and will hopefully enjoy the break from the heavy domestic season and thus allow new coaches Raymond Mdaka, Dylan Kerr & Sly Mosala a chance to work on the team.
More Nedbank Cup fixtures will take place over the weekend with some mouth-watering clashes which includes Maritzburg United vs Chiefs, All Stars vs Pirates, and CT City vs Royal AM.
Masandawana march on to the #NedbankCup round of 16 ๐ก๐ pic.twitter.com/aZji8xYLn5
— Nedbank Sport (@nedbanksport) February 7, 2023
