Big guns rule the roost
Celtic win 1-0 in an almost empty stadium
The march to the Nedbank Cup quarterfinals served up some interesting results on Friday and Saturday, with the common thread being the dominance of top-flight teams.
Five of the eight quarterfinalists where decided as Cape Town City, Cape Umoya United, Golden Arrows, Chippa United and Bloemfontein Celtic advanced.
In the only clash between Absa Premiership teams, the Benni McCarthy-led City FC made a statement in their 3-0 thrashing of Highlands Park in the Mother City on Friday evening.
Three rapid goals from Thami Mkhize, Craig Martin and a Marlon Heughs’ own goal in 12 minutes in the second half did the trick for the Citizens. McCarthy, whose team have turned the Cape Town Stadium into a fortress, is looking for a cup-double after their MTN8 win. He said: “I am over the moon with this result. After a poor first half the boys answered back with a brilliant second-half performance.
“We left it late but it’s a good thing that we progressed and it’s a great opportunity for the team to put a Nedbank Cup medal around their neck.” In the other fixtures, Umoya, the club formerly known as Platinum Stars, played to a goalless draw with Mbombela United and needed 4-2 penalty shootout win to progress.
Steve Komphela won the tactical battle against Shakes Mashaba as Arrows overcame Witbank Spurs 2-1 in eMalahleni. Lerato Lamola grabbed a brace for Arrows while Slovo Mrawu pulled one back for Spurs.
Chippa continued their run in the tournament with a 2-0 victory over Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila, thanks to goals from Kurt Lentjies and Mark Mayambela in Port Elizabeth. Bloemfontein Celtic edged Richards Bay 1-0 at a nearempty Free State Stadium – a familiar trend developing. Tshegofatso Mabaso scored the only goal of the match.