By Batsirai Sango.
The just ended weekend was surely filled with anxiety and arrived with so many football fans across the shores of South Africa, looking to the Carling Black Label Cup knockout phase with semifinal spots on the line.
This season’s Carling Black Label Cup has been a joy to watch with goals galore, which makes knockout cup games more exciting, bringing more fans to the games as well as raising the stock of the tournament itself.
The headline match of the quarter finals this past weekend was the clash between Soweto giants Amakhosi Kaizer Chiefs who were playing at home at the giant FNB stadium where they took on another colossal in Tshwane giants Mamelodi Sundowns.
Nothing else could be bigger in Mzansi football than a matchup of the two capitals, Kaizer Chiefs from the business and economic capital Johannesburg and Mamelodi Sundowns from the administrative and political capital Pretoria.
And November 2, 2024, on a Saturday was the day for this colossal, gigantic match up and the football loving fans did not disappoint coming out to witness a rarity in cup competition were juggernauts in South African football meet face to face.
With over 80 thousand fans from both sides coming to cheer on their teams the stakes could not be any higher as the giant FNB stadium was literally a sea of colors from both the Brazilians themselves and Amakhosi Faithfuls.
Mamelodi Sundowns with 8 players who command a first team jersey in Bafana Bafana certainly wanted to prove a point and so did their opponents, and the match started like a house on fire with both sides wanting to prove a point and of course claim the bragging rights.
The South American duo of Lucas Ribeiro and Marcelo Allende were constantly threatening with the Brazilian Ribeiro causing all sorts of problems for the Kaizer Chiefs back four. It did not take long before the Brazilian won the Tshwane giants a penalty in the 13th minute when he charged towards goal from the left flank leaving the defender with no option but to bring him down. Iqraam Rayners would make no mistake from 6 yards sending the yellow nation into delirium on their opponents’ turf.
It was not long before the Rayners was the culprit again 8 minutes later getting on the end of Khuliso Mudau’s cross evading 4 defenders two on either side, slotting in a low shot past the Chiefs goalie making 2nil. Sundowns were surely going all out for the kill as in the 29th minute Peter Shalulile came one on one with the goalie but could not convert.
A final nail into the coffin was surely hovering around Chief’s efforts to rescue the encounter.
It was only 10 minutes later when Shalulile made it 3nil from a left-wing cross from Aubrey Modiba, and it was still the first half in the 40th minute with added time still play and the 2nd half as well. Bafana be style as Sundowns are fondly referred to by their legion of fans were surely running riot and turning on the style on Chiefs and turn on, they did, going into half time leading 3nil.
The goal scorers were surely grabbing the headlines, but Lucas Ribeiro was surely playing the kind of football out of this galaxy as he was simply unplayable, mesmerizing with every touch he made and passes he made to teammates splitting the Chiefs defense line. Like a hot knife cutting through butter such was Ribeiro’s play in that match. He would go on to heat the upright woodwork with thunderous strike that had Chiefs goalie beaten all systems out in the 43rd minute.
In first half added time in the 49th minute Ribeiro would show class, splitting the back 4 of Kaizer Chiefs with Shalulile making the fine run only to miscue it though it was a tight angle. With all the missed opportunities it would have been 5nil or more before the interval.
Every Sundowns player was putting in a good shift, as Teboho Mokwena missed the goal by whiskers from a set piece some meters from the 18-yard box, and this was still the first half, and what a spectacle Mamelodi Sundowns were putting on show. The Brazilians were relentless as in the 54th minute Shalulile was brought down as he ran towards goal with Chiefs skipper Inacio Miguel who was shown a 2nd yellow and given his marching orders.
Mamelodi Sundowns would wrap up the match in the 61st minute with Khuliso Mudau initiating the move, making the Joel Matip kind of runs he made 2 seasons back and scoring against Leeds United, making sweet passes, with Ribeiro making the kind of sumptuous pass into the 18yard box as Mudau made the sweet run to put it in the back of the net, sealing Kaizer Chiefs’ horrific fate.
Sundowns would seal a semifinal spot in exquisite fashion, and have Marumo Gallants standing between them and a place in the final.
