TTM shock juggernaut Sundowns
WASHINGTON Arubi was the hero for Tshakuma Tsha Madzivhandila yesterday as the underdogs shocked Mamelodi Sundowns in a penalty shoot-out in the Nedbank Cup semi-finals at Loftus.
After the match ended in a goalless stalemate after 90 minutes and a further half hour of extra-time, Arubi stepped up and saved Hhlompho Kekana’s sudden death penalty allowing Thembisani Nevhulamba to drive home the winner that sent TTM into raptures.
Arubi was the undoubted man of the match, not only for his shootout heroics, but also for his brilliant performance in the match itself.
Arubi produced a superb reflex save to deny a powerful Subusiso Vilakazi strike from close range shortly before the end of the regular 90 minutes.
He was at his brilliant best again midway through the first period of extra-time when he dived acrobatically to right to punch away a welltaken free-kick from Lyle Lakay.
With Sundowns pressing for the winner right until the very end Arubi
was called into action yet again when he blocked a Peter Shalulile volley from close range before Brian Onyango’s header was ruled off-side.
Both teams would have felt though that they deserved a penalty during the match with, firstly, Sundowns’ Uruguayan striker Gaston Sirino being brought down in the box.
The referee, however, was not interested in the same manner that he waved play on later in the game when Tshakhuma were adamant they deserved a penalty after Thembisani Nevhulamba went down in the box following an Onyango tackle.
Sundowns did have the best chance of the game to take the lead
when ace playmaker Themba Zwane found the ball at his feet in the small box with the TTM goal gaping in front of him midway through the second half.
But instead of calmly slotting the ball home like he usually would, Zwane blasted his shot over the bar and the chance went abegging.