Dennis Onyango was the hero for Sundowns as they lifted the MTN8 trophy, Richards Bay and Uthongathi enjoy good GladAfrica Championship outings and Sundowns Ladies leave for CAF Women's Champions League.
Onyango outstanding as Sundowns win MTN8
The MTN8 came to an end this week when Mamelodi Sundowns defeated Cape Town City at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. Both teams came into the final having scored 6 goals in the competition. Cape Town City had displayed a contradictory form in the league but had shown defensive solidity in the MTN8 having conceded just one goal prior to the final.
Mamelodi Sundowns drew blood first through flying winger Thapelo Morena arrived late in the box to net from close range in the 24th minute following great work by fellow striker Thabiso Kutumela. Sundowns dominated possession in the first half, but it was City that had better chances. The Teams would go into halftime with Sundowns still leading 1-0.
What looked like a forced substitution would change Sundowns’ intensity and allow City to dominate the midfield, as Kermit Erasmus came on for Kutumela. City equalized in the 74th minute through Fargrie Lakay finding the bottom corner.
Cape Town City finished the 120 minutes of football after defender Nathan Idumba was sent off in extra time. Sundowns, however, weren’t able to capitalise as City effectively wound down the clock.
Sundowns eventually won 3-2 on penalties, thanks to Onyango’s heroics. The Ugandan saved 5 penalties on the evening but that didn’t stop City players lamenting poor officiating which led to City striker Lakay getting a red card immediately after the match.
❌❌✅❌✅❌❌ - Denis Onyango put on a goalkeeping masterclass against Cape Town City in the #MTN8 final as he saved five of the seven penalties he faced in the shootout. pic.twitter.com/MKzQV7VBUQ
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) October 31, 2021
Richards Bay, Uthongathi fly KZN flag in GladAfrica Championship
Both KZN sides won their respective GladAfrica Championship matches and kept clean sheets.
Richards Bay beat TS Sporting 2-0 thanks to strikes from Sakhile Hlongwa and Mpho Mathebule. The win sees the Natal Rich Boys move into fifth on 18 points, just three behind log-leading JDR Stars.
Meanwhile, Uthongathi beat log leaders JDR 1-0 thanks to a 24th-minute strike from Issa Sarr (remember him?).
Cape Town Spurs were denied all three points in the Derby against Cape Town All Stars thanks to a late penalty which saw the game end 1-1. Spurs’ clearly felt hard done by – take a look at the Tweet below from their official account.
89’| Penalty. All Stars score.
— Cape Town Spurs FC (@CapeTownSpursFC) October 31, 2021
Amor gets kicked in the face and Rodgers is booked, but still they get the penalty (for a handball) which they score.
Seen it all now.
🔴 1-1 🟢#GladAfricaChampionship #CapeTownSpurs #UrbanWarriors
Sundowns Ladies off the CAF Women’s Champions League
Sundowns Ladies are off to fly the South African flag at the CAF Women’s Champions League taking place in Egypt. They will be joined in Group B by Vihga Queens of Kenya, AS FAR of Morocco and Rivers Angels of Nigeria.
Meanwhile, in a bizarre twist in the Hollywoodbets Super League, Sundowns suffered their first “defeat” of the season. The match in question was their home fixture against First Touch FC on 12 June. A SAFA Disciplinary Committee verdict ruled that Sundowns had failed to fumigate the dressing rooms before their match which is a prerequisite for all league matches.
The grand take off to the land of the Pharaohs for the #TotalEnergiesCAFWCL 🏆✈️✈️
— Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies Team (@SundownsLadies) October 31, 2021
“Congratulations once again @Masandawana for bringing the #MTN8 🏆 home!
We are embarking on a journey to bring more silverware home”
🎙: Head Coach @JerryTshabalala #SundownsLadies #Sundowns pic.twitter.com/UaaWflqsoI
