In a stunning twist to the Carling Knockout Cup’s opening round, Marumo Gallants sent shockwaves through South African football by knocking out last season’s finalists, Mamelodi Sundowns, in a tense penalty shootout.
The victory not only secured Gallants a place in the next round but also marked their first-ever triumph over the Tshwane powerhouse—a historic moment for the club.
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Sundowns controlled the first half, with Tashreeq Matthews looking especially lively, but despite their dominance in possession, they struggled to turn pressure into clear chances.
Gallants defended resolutely, with Keanu Cupido making a strong return to the starting XI after a spell on the sidelines.
The second half began with renewed intensity from Sundowns. Khuliso Mudau came close with a low drive that flashed wide, while Arthur Sales’ deflected shot also missed narrowly soon after.
In the 65th minute, Washington Arubi kept Gallants level by denying Aubrey Modiba, before Malibongwe Khoza blazed the rebound over the bar.
Two minutes later, Iqraam Rayners thought he had broken the deadlock, only for his finish to be ruled out for offside.
Sundowns continued to push, and in the 80th minute, Teboho Mokwena’s header from a corner rattled the crossbar.
Gallants’ hopes appeared to fade when new signing Reisinho, making his debut after coming on as a substitute, was sent off just six minutes later – a red card following a late challenge in the 85th minute. Despite being reduced to ten men, Gallants held firm to force penalties.
In a tense shootout, Gallants triumphed 7-6, sending their supporters into wild celebration and securing a famous victory over the reigning league champions.
Speaking after the game, Cardoso said Sundowns played well, but were just not able to find a goal in open play.
He told SuperSport: “In the end my players fought so well through the 120 minutes, it’s easy to then say we executed the plan, the plan, they sustained us as much as they could, handling our attacks one after the other, that’s what we say.
“Nothing to complain about, the boys could not score, it’s true, but hard fight, a lot of capacity to be resilient in the match, playing 50 minutes with one less player and we saw Sundowns controlling the game but we could not score to get the advantage. When it’s penalties, nothing to complain, it’s a matter of details and that’s it.”