Mamelodi Sundowns battled through a tense quarterfinal encounter to secure a 1-0 victory over Sekhukhune United in the Nedbank Cup at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Friday night.
From the outset, both teams approached the match cautiously, with neither willing to make the first mistake in such a high-stakes knockout clash.
Sekhukhune United almost stunned Sundowns early on, with Babino Noko creating a scoring opportunity. Vusumuzi Mncube followed up with a powerful shot, but Sundowns’ goalkeeper Ronwen Williams was alert, diving to his left to make the save.
As the game progressed, Sundowns started to create chances of their own. A header from Grant Kekana tested Sekhukhune goalkeeper Renaldo Leaner, who made a timely save to deny the defender.
Sekhukhune thought they had broken the deadlock when they put the ball in the back of the net, but it was ruled out for offside after Elis Rammala was caught in an offside position.
The second half saw Sekhukhune’s goalkeeper, Renaldo Leaner, rise to the occasion, producing a series of stunning saves to keep his team in the contest. Leaner’s first major intervention came when he executed a brilliant double save to deny Sundowns’ Iqraam Rayners.
The 27-year-old shot-stopper continued to frustrate Sundowns, diving to stop a fierce shot from Teboho Mokoena before leaping acrobatically to deflect a curling free-kick from Lucas Ribeiro with a one-handed save that had the crowd on their feet.
Despite Leaner’s heroics, Sundowns’ persistence eventually paid off in the 119th minute of extra time. The decisive moment came down the right flank, as Thapelo Morena delivered a dangerous low cross into the box.
The ball was scrambled in front of goal, and in the chaos, Jayden Adams was in the right place at the right time to poke the ball home from just two meters out, securing Sundowns’ place in the semifinals.
Leaner’s incredible performance throughout the match earned him the Man of the Match award, having made a total of nine saves, including several critical interventions that kept his side in the game for as long as possible.
With the win, Mamelodi Sundowns now turn their focus to their next challenge in the competition, where they will face Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup semifinals on 12 April. The clash promises to be an exciting encounter as both teams battle for a spot in the final.