MTN8 Quarter-final
Full Time: Mamelodi Sundowns 1-2 Platinum Stars
Date: 2 August 2014
Venue: Loftus Stadium
Two goals in the opening 15 minutes from Vuyo Mere and Ndumiso Mabena saw the defending MTN8 champions, Platinum Stars, beat the 2013/14 Absa Premiership champions, Mamelodi Sundowns, 2-1 in a quarter-final match at Loftus Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Dikwena started the brighter of the two teams and made their pressure tell early on when Mduduzi Nyanda was brought down inside the box by Tebogo Langerman in the sixth minute and the referee pointed to the spot.
Captain Vuyo Mere stepped up and made no mistake with his penalty to give Stars the lead, 1-0.
The away side then found their second goal in the 15th minute when Robert Ng'ambi slipped Ndumiso Mabena in behind the Sundowns defence and he produced a clinical finish from 14-yards out, 2-0.
The Brazilians tried to find their way back into the game and controlled the possession stakes thereafter, but they struggled to create any decent openings in front of goal, and when they did their finishing was poor.
The most exciting part of the half after the opening goals was a ten minute break in the game as officials had to rid the goalmouth microphone of a swarm of bees.
Once action had resumed neither side could find their rhythm as the game entered the half time break with Dikwena in the lead.
Two minutes after break Lindokuhle Mbatha should have pulled a goal back for Sundowns when he found himself in space 14-yards out, but under no pressure he hit his shot against the outside of the post.
Sundowns continued to dominate proceedings after that, but the struggled to breakdown a resilient Stars defence.
Instead, the next decent chance on goal came at the other end in a counter-attack which saw Mduduzi Nyanda strike the right-hand post from 14-yards out in the 73rd minute.
Sundowns, nonetheless, continued to persist and pulled a goal back in the 89th minute through Teko Modise, but it only proved to be consolation.
Here is how they started:
Sundowns: Sandilands, Langerman, Schut, Mphahlele, Nthethe, Modise, Zungu, Mbatha, Mashego, Laffor, Tau.
Platinum Stars: Mpontshane, Mere, Gumede, Rofhiwa, Mpeta, Ng'ambi, Mathe, Msomi, Nyanda, Hadebe, Mabena.
Check out the MTN8 Fixtures here.
