What a battle! What drama as Kaizer Chiefs managed to win the inaugural MTN 8 cup final — beating Mamelodi Sundowns 4-3 on penalties in a nail biting 0-0 draw after extra time.
Downs — who created far more chances — have only themselves to blame and should have wrapped up this match in 90 minutes. But they failed where it mattered most – in front of goal.
Downs coach Trott Moloto took a gamble by selecting former Amakhosi ace Collins Mbesuma in place of injured Sibusiso Zuma. Although the Zambian star showed he will be an asset in the months to come he was far from the form that made him the lethal striker that netted 35 goals in the PSL championship in 2005.
Sundowns had the better of an entertaining first half in which they had the Chiefs defence in a lot of trouble but failed to capitalise on their chances.
Amakhosi, lacking the depth of Downs, also created chances but they wasted too many passes in the final third. The Amakhosi midfield failed to link up with their strikers Jose Torrealba and Gert Schalkwyk.
In the 24th minute, Josta Dladla wasted a sitter and showed his lack of confidence in front of goal.
Dladla latched on to a killer ball from Lerato Chabangu on the right wing and cut inside, but instead of trying to beat the advancing Itumeleng Khune he opted to pass to Mbesuma. The pass was a poor one and the Zambian international failed to get a touch and the ball rolled over the goalline to safety.
Downs’s Derrick Spencer thudded a header off the Amakhosi crossbar in the 11th minute and then it was Chiefs’s turn to squander a golden chance when Thuso Phala failed to connect a Jimmy Tau cross in front of an open goal.
Dladla seemed to struggle with the pressure and again failed to find the target when he tried to trap a clever pass from Mbesuma along the goalline.
Schalkwyk headed wide when he had the Downs goal at his mercy after connecting a pin-point cross from Reneilwe Letsholonyane two minutes from the break.
Khune did well to save a stinging shot from Mbesuma a minute into the second half and a minute later Dladla shot wide.
Chiefs started pushing Downs into their own half but Sundowns’s talented midfielder Surprise Moriri could have broken the deadlock in the 63rd minute but he took too long in lining up his shot.
Khune, the Bafana Bafana number one keeper, showed his class when he punched away a tremendous shot from Chabangu in the 66th minute as Downs threatened to overrun the overworked Chiefs defence.
Benedict Vilakazi replaced the tiring Mbesuma with 13 minutes of regulation time left.
Downs’s keeper Brian Baloyi’s then he did well to pluck Torrealba’s shot out the air in the 80th minute.
Moriri wasted the best chance of the night when he miskicked in front of an empty net after a great cross from Dladla.
Moriri headed over the cross bar in the 96th minute while teammate Chabangu missed another chance when he ballooned two shots over the crossbar at the end of the first half of extra time. Vilakazi was unlucky when he shaved the upright with a thunderous shot in the 105th minute.
Khune again came to the rescue with another fine save, this time in the 111th minute from substitute Dario Monteirio. With two minutes remaining, Baloyi made the save of the match, tipping substitute Mokete Tsotsetsi’s shot for a corner t
With Downs failing to make use of their chances, Chiefs were happy to settle the final and R8-million on penalties. – Sapa