OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Saturday 8.30pm.
KAIZER Chiefs beat Mamelodi Sundowns 2-1 on penalties to retain the R1-million Rothmans Cup at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on Saturday.
The final was decided on penalties after the sides drew 2-2 after 120 minutes of thrilling football.
Striker Pollen Ndlandya’s score in sudden-death secured the match for Chiefs in the same way they won it last year. On Saturday, however, the penalty kicks were very poor and out of South Africa’s top players only three kicks were converted out of 12 attempts.
The game started off in thrilling fashion with Chiefs going ahead 1-0 in the first minute when Thabo Mooki scored after receiving a cross from striker Marc Batchelor.
Mmooki had all the time in the world to blast the ball through the legs of keeper John Tlale.
Sundowns did not look very concerned with the setback and attacked frequently and with purpose comimng close on a number of occasions.
The game then settled into a midfield battle as Sundowns found space behind the Chiefs defence, but chances went awry and Ndlanya and Batchelor almost put Chiefs further in the lead.
After breaking on 1-0, Sundowns levelled matters in the 75th minute when referee Robbie Williams made a dubious decision adjudging Raphael Chukwu to have been fouled. Eric Ramasike, from 20 metres out, slammed the resultant freekick off the wall and Joel Masilela blasted the loose ball brilliantly past Brian Baloyi.
With the teams tied after standard time, the game went to extra time and Sundowns took early advantage.
Roger Feutmba slipped a pass to Alex Bapela, who rocketed the ball past Baloyi in the sixth minute of extra time to make it 2-1.
Chiefs hit back in the 18th minute of extra time when Tovey found Siyabonga Nomvete with a long-range pass and the replacement scored low past Tlale to level the scores.
SPORTS FEATURES
Bring on the gladiators
The gladiators of South African soccer meet this weekend in the Rothmans Cup final. A close battle of attrition in which caution will take preference over adventure seems likely.
Finally, the tour begins
At last the first Test of the West Indies tour gets underway and it promises to be a cracker. This could be the beginning of a beautiful series.
Playing on empty
Saturday is Mallett’s 16th Test in charge in a year and eight of the Test team have appeared in all of them, Percy Montgomery in 15. After a long, hard season, can the Springboks get themselves “up” yet again for the challenge of the Irish at Lansdowne Road on Saturday?
Million to one
The Nedbank Million Dollar Challenge keeps getting better and this year the biggest hitter of them all is here in the person of Tiger Woods.
THEY SAID IT
“We are going to intervene in a very decisive kind of way to ensure that we don’t assemble here in this fashion in five years’ time to lament the death of rugby in our black areas. “You are going to be heard beyond the confines of these walls indicating your outrage, you must be heard — nou is ons gatvol (Now we are fed up).”
South African Sports Minister Steve Tshwete at the announcement of a government commission to speed up transformation in sports such as cricket and rugby.