Here’s a quarter, eat or be eaten!
No one wants to lose to a friend Ovidy Karuru – Leopards winger
“It’s a great achievement for the team to be in the quarterfinals. We are only two games away from the final, so I think if we cross this bridge against TTM, it will be good for us and it will boost our confidence in the league because we want to do well in the league. I think if you are not doing well in the league, sometimes things tend to go well in the cup. We just have to try and take the form we have been having in the cup into the league so that we can be out of the relegation zone. This one is a cup game and you know that those types of games are like finals. Everyone wants to progress to the next round and that’s why we’ve been doing well in the cup. When you are doing well, there’s nothing wrong with trying to get victories in the league and also trying to chase the cup. I’m happy when the team wins and I just want to help the team to do well. The two goals I scored against (Jomo) Cosmos were good for me and I was happy to help the team. It was a tough game and, after the game, I heard Jomo (Sono) saying he wanted the game to go to extra-time because his team is fitter than ours. This one is not going to be an easy one. It’s a derby and they have a coach who has been with us here before (Dylan Kerr). He knows all of us here, so that alone will make this game even harder than the other ones we’ve played. It’s going to be like a final before the final. No one wants to lose a derby because some of the guys chill together and they see each other, so I’m sure they’ve already started talking about the game over the phone or whenever they are chilling together. No one wants to lose to a friend and I believe coach Dylan will want to prove a point by beating us. No matter what they bring, we’ll be ready for them.”
Star performers so far Ovidy Karuru & Lefa Hlongwane
Zimbabwean international Karuru was the match winner against Cosmos in the Last 32, bagging a brace to send Lidoda Duvha into the next round, having come on as a substitute. Meanwhile, enterprising Hlongwane has been a nuisance for opposition defenders in the competition so far, notably setting up the winner for Mohammed Anas against AmaZulu in the Last 16.
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Leopards have had a difficult run in the league this season and victories have been hard to come by. What’s interesting is that their success over Usuthu was the first time they registered back-to-back wins in a cup competition this season.
I wish they were points Lehlohonolo Nonyane – TTM defender
“As you can see, for the past four games, we’ve been doing well, so the mood in the camp is very high and we’re obviously looking forward to playing against our rivals. We know that it won’t be an easy one, but we are looking forward to it because we want to keep progressing as a team. We’ll be prepared when we go into it. What I can say about how things have turned around is that when players are happy, they will perform. The players we have in this team have been in the game for a long time, so it was just a matter of players being happy. Whenever someone is happy, obviously they’ll do well. We’ve been the laughing stock in the country since the start of the season, so by us winning the games we’ve won recently, that will change the percepThat mentality, I think, is changing game-by-game and I hope that we can continue to get the results and keep improving as a team, but we need to ensure that we take it one game at a time. Both we and Leopards are at the bottom of the log in the league and I think Leopards, for the past few games, have been doing well and you can see that they’ve upped their game, so to beat them won’t be easy. But winning against them will be the cherry on top, but sometimes I wish the games we have won in the Nedbank Cup were points in the league. However, playing in the Nedbank Cup prepares us for the league games, so we’ll do our best.”
Star performers so far Washington Arubi & Thabo Mnyamane
Skipper Arubi was immense against Swallows FC in the previous round, stopping two penalties to send his side into the quarterfinals. He was also instrumental as TTM kept a clean sheet against SuperSport United in a 1-0 victory in the Last 32. Former Matsatsantsa winger Mnyamane is enjoying his football again after a difficult start to life with Vhadau Vha Damani. He’s scored in both rounds of the competition so far.
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TTM are the only side left in the competition to claim two wins against top-flight opposition. They beat SuperSport and Swallows. All the other elite division teams left in the competition registered victories against GladAfrica Championship sides at one point or the other. have come this far in the competition and we’d like to win the Nedbank Cup so that the club can have something because we’ve never won something as a team (in the topflight). This game is so important for us. We know that there is a league game first (against AmaZulu) and then we have a Nedbank Cup game on the weekend, but we treat all the games in the same way and we have the same approach. There is no game more important than the other. We are really looking forward to this game and we know that Richards Bay is a good playing team. We’ve watched them beating the other teams in the competitions and we know that it’s not going to be an easy game. They are doing very well and that’s why I am saying we are not going to take them lightly them. We are well prepared for them and we are not going to take them lightly. Having a coach who has won the Nedbank Cup (Dan Malesela) is a good thing for us, because we to hear it from him how he did it (with TS Galaxy). He is a coach who understands how this competition goes, so I’d say he is bringing in a lot of experience into the team and he’s helping us a lot. He’s also helping us as senior players to help the younger players, to talk to them because some other guys don’t know how big it is to win the Nedbank Cup. It will be good for the team to bring something to the Eastern Cape. It will be good to give back to the people of Eastern Cape.”
Star performers so far Andile Mbenyane & Nyiko Mobbie
Long-serving Mbenyane has come up with some key moments in the competition, scoring in the Last 32 against Free State Stars, before setting up the winner for Cameroonian striker Eva Nga during extra-time in their victory over Cape Town City in the last round. Right back Mobbie played a key role in defence and attack during the victory over the Citizens and bagged himself the Man of the Match award. He also contributed alty shootout against his former side Ea Lla Koto in the opening round.
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The Chilli Boys are the only topflight club left in the competition to have scored more than one goal in both the Last 32 and 16 rounds. They scored twice in the 2-2 draw against Stars, before sealing the tie on penalties, and then conquered with a 2-1 scoreline over Cape Town City.
The pressure is on them Khanyisa Mayo – Richards Bay striker
“It feels good to be in the quarterfinals because in the history of our team, this team has only reached the Last 16. So, it feels good that we are at this stage and getting a top-flight team, but we know that it’s not going to be easy since we come into the tournament as underdogs. We’ve managed to eliminate one of the highly-ranked teams in the country (Kaizer Chiefs) and now we’re facing another Premiership side. Teams are now monitoring us as players, since we are going to be playing Premier League opposition. There won’t be any pressure on us at all. The pressure is on them because they are a Premiership side and we are campaigning in the GladAfrica Championship. We have nothing to lose and the pressure won’t be on us. We have been on a good run of form and not a lot of the Premier League are in a similar position as us in terms of form. They are doing well, but not the same as the form we are in. We’ll go into the game high on confidence. Chippa is my former team, but I have to focus on doing well to get to the next stage because we are competing to go as far as possible in the tournament. It’s a big platform for us to showcase our talent. It’s my former club and we will be playing the game in my hometown, and it would be nice to do well in my hometown and show the guys there that they can also make it. My family won’t be able to come to the stadium since it’s COVID-19, but they will watch if the game will fore the game, I’ll have a chance to see my parents and they’ll wish me well. My parents are happy in terms of me progressing in football because since I left SuperSport, things had gone quiet and I did not really have a chance to showcase what I have. But since I got to Richards Bay, I’m showcasing my talent and I’m happy.”
Star performers so far Khanyisa Mayo & Austin Dube
Mayo is having a god run in the competition and has recently been linked with a top-flight move. He inspired a come-from-behind victory over TS Sporting in the Last 16, scoring from the spot, before curling home a beauty for the winner. Ex-TS Galaxy defender Dube, meanwhile, has been instrumental at the back for the Natal Rich Boyz and has proven to be a threat in the opposition half too, scoring the opener in the 2-1 victory over Amakhosi. He was solid against Sporting, winning a number of aerial battles.
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Richards Bay are the only GladAfrica Championship team left in the competition, at this stage, that has not been to a penalty shootout. They’ve won both their games in regulation time. Cape Town All Stars and Pretoria Callies both needed a penalty shootout in the Last 16 to progress.
They did not outplay us
Ronaldo Maarman – All Stars winger “As a team, the spirit is good and the work ethic, on and off the field, is
ing. We’re definitely in sync and that’s why we can score two goals from being 1-0 down. Even against Cape Town Spurs, we were down and we fought back in the last minutes of the game. So, the team spirit shows you a lot when a team can fight until the last moments. We are all motivated as a team and we are humble at the same time. To be honest, our technical team works so hard and they put together great finishing drills for us and we do extra work. It’s those small things, and we are just doing what we can. The sessions that we are having are top-notch. We’ve lost 2-1 to Callies already this season… I remember that game well. We scored in the first half and conceded late in the second half and, a few minutes later, we conceded again. It was our own mistakes… silly mistakes. They did not outplay us. It was a lack of concentration from the whole team, but we took it on our shoulders and we worked hard. That’s why we’ve pulled off big wins and late draws. That was a learning curve and we now know that we don’t want that feeling again, so we need to keep doing what we’ve been doing. We are taking it step-by-step, but I personally believe that with the amount of talent we have, we can go all the way. It’s just up to us and we’ll keep doing our best. If it happens that we find ourselves lifting the Nedbank Cup, then it’s God’s will. This stage of the competition is very unpredictable. I watched when TS Galaxy won this competition and it made me realise that you should not limit your goals in life. We just need to go out there and do our best and fight for the badge.”
Star performers so far Waseem Isaacs & Ndiviwe Mdabuka
Burly striker Isaacs has two goals in the Nedbank Cup so far, netting the opener in both matches All Stars have played. He is a threat up front, using his big frame to cause problems for defenders. Talented but sometimes wayward Mdabuka is playing a vital role as captain of the side. He was on the tournament against Bizana Pondo Chiefs and was one of the players who converted from the spot kick during the shootout against Cape Town Spurs. A box-to-box midfielder, his experience has shone through.
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Igugu Lekapa are the top scorers in this year’s competition, with six goals netted in their first two matches. They hammered Bizana Pondo Chiefs 3-1 away from home and then played out to a thrilling 3-3 draw with Mother City rivals Cape Town Spurs, before a penalty shootout decided the tie.
We need to be ready for the fight Thabo Moloi – Callies defender
“We’ve played against All Stars this season away from home in the league and we won the match 2-1. That game was tough and, like playing against any other Cape team in Cape Town, it was not easy coming away with maximum points. They scored first and that did not make it any easier for us. We had to fight back and eventually we got the 2-1 win. But overall, it was a tough game and now we’re going to be playing against them in Cape Town again. We know that we beat them last time, but we can’t relax. We are going to prepare like we do for any other game. Since our game, they’ve made some changes to their team. There are players that they’ve brought in and others have left. And you know when changes happen in a team, everybody wants to impress and everyone ups their game. We know that it’s going to be a tough game, but we need to be ready for the fight. Before we played against them in the league, we had a video session to see how they played and what to expect, so I am sure we’re going to have another video session before we play against them. We’ve kept two clean sheets in the competition and for us, even in the league, that’s the foundation. When you keep a clean sheet, you’ll get a chance to score. When you keep a clean sheet, petitions, it’s a bit different, because if you keep a clean sheet, the game can go to extra-time and then penalties, like it happened in our game against JDR Stars. But we also try to keep it solid and then work our way up from there. This is the team’s first season in the GladAfrica Championship and it’s the first time we are playing in the Nedbank Cup, so I feel that it’s been a good run for us and we’ll try to keep it going.”
Star performers so far Itumeleng Lesu & Pogiso Mahlangu:
Captain and goalkeeper Lesu has done well to keep two clean sheets in the competition so far, coming up with some saves to ensure they do not let anyone rattle their net. He also produced the goods when he saved a penalty during the shootout against fellow GladAfrica Championship side JDR Stars in the Last 16. Mahlangu, on the other hand, is the only Callies player to know what it feels like to score a goal during regulation time so far in the Nedbank Cup. His goal inspired the victory over Royal AM.
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The Romans are the only team left in the competition yet to concede a goal. They kept a clean in their opening game of the tournament against Royal AM, and kept it tight at the back again against JDR Stars in a 0-0 draw in the Last 16, before winning on penalties. at Polokwane City, they’ve not lost in their last five matches. They’ve won three games and drawn two. They’ve got a total of seven goals and have conceded once and that should tell you something. They’ve got Puleng Tlolane, Charlton Mashumba and (Cyril) Chibwe in goals and they also have Salulani Phiri, who recently scored his first goal. They’ve got a good balance of youth and experience. Now let’s look at Sundowns. Because of CAF, it’s a little bit problematic for them because of the travelling and all those things. They’ve not rested in about 21 days. They have been going around playing CAF and domestic matches, but they are the team of the moment because they’ve not lost (in the league and Champions League) because of the expectations and the quality of players they have. The tricky part about this game against Polokwane City is which team is Sundowns going to field? Because they have to do some rotation. If you don’t rotate your players well, that’s where you can find problems. They play Polokwane City and then, in three days, they play against Stellenbosch and then in another three days, they have to play against TP Mazembe again. Selection will be key for Sundowns. For me, logic says Sundowns will win this one, but trust me, Polokwane City will fancy their chances.”
That’s important Lucky Lekgwathi – Former Pirates captain
“What I like about Pirates at the moment is that they are not making too many changes to the team. The coach (Josef Zinnbauer) is sticking to the same team most of the time and that’s good for the team and that’s why I feel the team is doing well. When a team has a winning combination and then you change that winning combination, that’s where you lose the momentum. But I am happy that the team is consistent. It shows ning combination. I think the team’s downfall before was the chopping and changing, you understand? Pirates have won the MTN8 this season and that would have given them confidence to try and go all the way in the Nedbank Cup. I remember with us, when we had gone through seven years of drought, we won the MTN8. After that, we sat down and said we can win another trophy and it happened. After winning the MTN8, we had that confidence to win more trophies. So, I think after Pirates won the MTN8 this season, the spirit is high in the team and this is a trophy that they can win as their second knockout competition. If they continue with the same winning mentality, I believe that they can go on and win this competition. But they should take it one game at a time. The job is not done until you go to the final and win it. That’s important. I believe that if they can progress to the next round, whether they beat Mamelodi Sundowns or Polokwane City, they can go all the way. But it’s important that they stay focused and keep taking it one game at a time.”
Star performers so far Deon Hotto & Thabang Monare
Hotto set up the winning goal against GladAfrica Championship side Uthongathi in the Last 32, before going on to get his name on the scoresheet in the 3-1 victory over struggling Maritzburg United in the following round. Monare, for his part, has been a key component in the middle of the park. He was solid against Uthongathi and was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet when a long-range effort in the second half ricocheted off the crossbar. He was Man of the Match in the Last 16, when the Buccaneers walked out a 3-1 victors.
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Pirates’ two victories in the competition so far have come against KZN opposition. They had to dig deep to overcome Uthongathi and then had to come from behind to send the Team of
The tricky part for Sundowns… James Mayinga – Former Sundowns defender