Lion City on march to Nedbank Cup spot

ABC Motsepe League soccer side Lion City will represent the Nelson Mandela Bay region at the semifinals of the Nedbank Cup’s next preliminaries on October 21.

The team from Motherwell made sure of that by first beating league rookies PE Stars 2-0 in the knockout stage, before a clash with Highbury in the final.

Highbury had defeated Swartkops Valley United Brothers 4-3 on penalties, after the game ended in a 1-1 draw. Lion City then beat Highbury 1-0 to book themselves the spot in the semifinals.

If they win that, City will play the SAB League winners in a bid to secure a spot in the last 32 of the Nedbank Cup competition and also pocket R100 000 prize money.

They will also grab the bragging rights of being the top team in the Eastern Cape.

East London’s EC Bees, who played host to Soweto giants Orlando Pirates at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium last season, will be out to defend their title as provincial champions.

The Bees have also progressed to the next round of the tournament after beating Tornado FC 2-1. They then played FC Buffalo in the semifinals and won 2-0.

City will join the Bees, Mthatha City and Matta Milan in the Nedbank Cup semifinals.

The venue and fixture draw for the knockout event are yet to be confirmed.