Star-studded Mamelodi Sundowns retained the Telkom Charity Cup at an emotionally charged FNB Stadium on Saturday night by the skin of their teeth — but only after a goalkeeper named Postnett failed to deliver for Bloemfontein Celtic in the unfamiliar role of penalty-taker.
Postnett Omony’s spot kick was saved by a diving, intuitive Andre Arendse in a taut, tense penalty shoot-out after 11 impeccable kicks had bulged the net — giving the Brazilians a 6-5 win on penalties after the teams had finished 1-1 at the end of the scheduled 90 minutes.
And notwithstanding the vast reservoir of talent at Sundowns’ disposal and their obvious superiority in matters of skill, the unsung heroes of the day’s three-game extravaganza, which was witnessed until the tantalising final kick by a crowd of 70 000, were undoubtedly the gallant Celtic players.
Not only did they stretch Sundowns to the limit in the final without the key presence of Rotson Kilambe and Sipho Nunens, who are on loan from the Brazilians, but they also shocked Premier Soccer League champions Kaizer Chiefs 2-1 in the semifinals with a dramatic goal in the 91st minute.
A controversial clause in the loan agreement between Sundowns and Celtic prevents Kilambe and Nunens from playing against the club who effectively hold their contracts — and this private but strictly legal agreement hardly met with the satisfaction of all those present.
Despite dominating play territorially, Sundowns surprisingly only opened the score in the 61st minute from a snap shot by Surprise Moriri following an indirect free kick in the penalty area after Omony had handled a snap, under-pressure back pass.
Godfrey Sapula smartly spotted that Moriri was unmarked and instantly passed him the ball, but the player who had made such a big impression in the recent Peace Cup international club tournament in South Korea was one of the big disappointments of the day.
Sundowns needlessly surrendered the initiative when the talented but relatively inexperienced Robyn Johannes conceded a penalty in the 67th minute and Walter Spandeel made no mistake with his spot kick.
Sundowns also almost shot themselves in the foot by fielding two teams of almost equal strength in their tepid 1-0 win against Black Leopards in the semifinals and then in the final against Celtic — and it is problematic whether this dicey manipulation enabled Argentinian coach Angel Kappa to come any closer to finding his best combination for next weekend’s launch of the Premier Soccer League.
And in the end, Sundowns looked greatly relieved to make off with the R500 000 spoils, with Celtic urged on by expressive new coach Paul Dolezar — who was with the Brazilians when they won this trophy last season — and the massive Chiefs following, who threw their allegiance behind the Bloemfontein club for the final. — Sapa