Ronwen Williams emerged as the hero, saving two penalties as SuperSport United came from behind to defeat Cape Town City in the MTN8 final on Saturday evening at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, writes MARSHALL GOUTS.
Benni McCarthy’s side booked their spot in the final after overcoming Polokwane City in the quarter-finals, before twice claiming the scalp of defending champions Bidvest Wits in the semi-finals.
Eric Tinkler’s side had an arguably tougher route to the final, overcoming Kaiser Chiefs and Maritzburg United in the quarters and semis respectively.
McCarthy made one change to his side that overcame Wits in their last MTN8 encounter, with Teko Modise replacing Ayanda Patosi in the starting lineup.
Tinkler named an unchanged squad from the side that claimed a 2-0 victory against Maritzburg in the second leg of their semi-final clash.
SuperSport signalled their attacking intent from the offset as they pumped long balls forward to the attacking duo of Jeremy Brockie and Bradley Grobler.
Matsatsantsa continued to pile pressure early on and came close as Grobler sneaked in behind the City defence in the fifth minute, but his shot was blocked by Taariq Fielies.
Aided by the wet pitch, the opening ten minutes of the game provided non-stop action, with both sides pressing to break the deadlock.
City got their first real chance of the game in the 13th minute when Sibusiso Masina’s clever cross into the area was almost met by Majoro, but a timely intervention by Ronwen Williams ensured that the scoreline remained level.
SuperSport dominated possession stakes, but failed to penetrate the City defence with their route one tactic.
City opened the scoring, much against the run of play in the 23rd minute, as a well-worked move from the back saw Masina get on to the end of Ebrahim Seedat’s cross, before his toe-poked finish found the back of the net.
SuperSport immediately responded by launching numbers forward in a bid to equalise, and they could have levelled matters in the 28th minute, but captain Dean Furman’s blasted his effort over the crossbar after finding some space on the edge of the area.
Matsatsantsa should have equalised in the 34th minute after Shuaib Walters’ attempted punch landed at the feet of Grobler, but the forward’s goal-bound effort was cleared away after a timely tackle by Seedat.
City came agonisingly close to doubling their lead when Teko Modise’s ball found Majoro, who in turn found Lakay in the area, but Williams did enough to parry his effort away.
The tempo of the game dropped towards the end of the first-half as City went into the half-time break with a one-goal lead.
Neither side made changes heading into the second stanza, and it was SuperSport who put City on the back foot early on.
Much like the first half, a fierce midfield battle ensued, with Mpho Matsi proving influential for City in breaking down most of City’s attacks.
SuperSport made the first substitution of the game as Thabo Mnyamane was brought on for Reneilwe Letsholonyane in the 54th minute when Tinkler’s side upped their efforts at getting an equaliser.
Brockie had his team’s first real effort on target in the 57th minute when he latched on to a throw-in, before unleashing a speculative effort from distance, which Walters had covered.
The introduction of Mnyamane gave SuperSport a different attacking option.
Majoro could have sealed the tie in the 60th minute when Lyle Lakay’s excellent ball into the area was met by Major, but the forward could not direct his effort on target, despite being in the six-yard area.
SuperSport were gifted a great opportunity in the 63rd minute when a counter-attacking move saw Mnyamane find himself in acres of space, but the winger’s effort sailed over the crossbar.
City continued to defend deep in their area and they almost doubled the lead once again against the run of play when a three-versus-three situation saw Modise play Majoro through on goal, but the forward’s first touch let him down, allowing Williams to recover the ball.
Modise was subsequently replaced by Roland Putsche in the 66th minute as Benni signalled his intent to shut up shop, while Tinkler opted for the introduction of Dove Wome for Brockie.
A poor back pass from Clayton Daniels almost gifted City their second goal, but Lakay was adjudged have been in an offside position.
Majoro, who was running out of steam, was replaced in the 75th minute by Victor Obinna as McCarthy looked to kill off the game.
Tinkler opted for his final roll of the dice as he introduced Sifiso Myeni for Modiba with less than 15 minutes remaining in the clash.
Myeni made an immediate impact, as he played a role in the equaliser a minute later, which Mnyamane calmly slotted away. The winger subsequently exited the field, resulting in his team having to play with ten men after he sustained a groin injury.
Buoyed by their equaliser, SuperSport threw everything forward in their bid to win the encounter, but could find not find another way past McCarthy’s side.
With extra time looming, City brought on forward Judas Moseamedi for Matsi, however neither side were able to make inroads as the game headed into extra time.
City looked to exploit their one-man advantage, but were largely let down by poor decision-making in the final third.
SuperSport were content to absorb the pressure and played on the counter-attack. This tactic almost paid dividends in the 97th minute when Grobler found Wome unmarked in the area, but the forward lacked composure in his finish – ballooning it over the bar.
City were presented with an excellent opportunity to restore their lead in the 101st minute when Obinna’s ball into the area was met by Lakay, but his shot was wayward and Thabo Nodada’s subsequent appeals for a penalty were waved away.
Neither side were able to break the deadlock in the last period of extra time, forcing the game into penalties, from where Williams emerged as the hero, saving Lakay and Moseamedi’s spot kicks.
