Sundowns grind out victory against spirited Home Defenders
MAMELODI SUNDOWNS (2) 2
Matthews 8; Aubaas 27
MPHENI HOME DEFENDERS 0
IT WAS NOT the massacre it promised to be as Sundowns’ flying start to this Nedbank round of 16 clash with the lower division outfit fizzled into somewhat of a grind.
Tashreeq Matthews opened the scoring on eight minutes with a cheeky back-heel after being set up by Arthur Sales to give rise to hopes of a score similar to the 24-0 hammering they handed to Powerlines FC a few years ago. Earlier on, Sales had missed a sitter on three minutes, the Brazilian scuffing the ball wide with just the goalkeeper to beat.
Given the ease with which they carved the Limpopo outfit open, you’d have thought the country’s best team was going to make it rain goals on an afternoon where the heavens had opened up a little in Atteridgeville before kick-off.
It became clear, though, that the ABC Motsepe League outfit was not going to make it easy for the South African elite league champions, who only scored their second goal on 27 minutes. Bathusi Aubaas latched on to a loose ball trapped down into his path by Mosa Lebusa, and he slammed it hard and low past the diving Buhle Thompson.
The visitors had a chance before half-time, but they rattled the bar after Dennis Onyango was beaten on the edge of the box when he left his line. Home Defenders also had two shouts for penalties duly waved away as they managed some promising attacks on their revered adversaries’ goals.
Not surprising then that they returned from the break a bit rejuvenated, and their coach Vhutshilo Phuravhatshu explained that he’d told his boys to do their badge proud.
“They respected Sundowns in the first half, and we conceded two soft goals. I told them that we had to come out as a team and show that we don’t respect Sundowns. We need to go out and fight and show what we can do, and that’s why the boys were motivated.”
Motivated they indeed were, and they believed they could get back into the match when Sundowns got reduced to ten men as Matthews received a second yellow card two minutes in for his marching orders. The match see-sawed from one end to the other thereafter, although Sundowns’ experience and superiority continued to show as they fashioned the better chances and easily dealt with whatever Defenders threw at them.
Both coaches rang the changes, but none were effective. The talismanic Tebboho Mokoena shot a trademark free kick wide while on the other side, Mpheni’s Lucky Boasi sent a shot against the side-net.
Five minutes from time, the visitors fashioned a well-worked corner – a short pass to the edge of the box and a cross into the penalty area. But Brandon Mokgope headed it against the woodwork, although he was already flagged offside.
At the end, the result was as expected, with Sundowns progressing to the quarter-finals, albeit not by the massive scoreline the gap in class between the two teams as well as the Brazilians’ start had suggested.