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Big guns Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns sailed through the Nedbank Cup first round last night to add themselves to the list of 10 teams that have booked places in the Last 16 of the Ke Yona competition.
The notable big upset so far was that of third-tier league campaigners Vaal University of Technology, who eliminated premier division side Golden Arrows at Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto during one of yesterday’s early matches.
The minnows from the ABC Motsepe League stunned coach Steve Komphela’s Abafana Bes’thende 6-5 on penalties following a 2-2 stalemate during normal play.
Vaal University of Technology have qualified alongside Amavarara FC from the Eastern Cape, the other third-division team to progress beyond the Last 32.
Meanwhile, last season’s runners-up, Chiefs, laboured to a 1-0 win over GladAfrica Championship campaigners Real Kings at FNB Stadium last night, while Sundowns also progressed with an odd goal against city rivals SuperSport United at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria.
Chiefs’ encounter was rather lukewarm until Lebogang Manyama’s sublime effort in the 70th minute saved Amakhosi embarrassment while facing the NFD strugglers.
The Eagles had their moments, but the hosts dealt well with the sporadic threats.
It was after the introduction of Khama Billiat after the half-time break that gave Chiefs a different dimension to their attack, and they were duly rewarded when Manyama scored yet another important goal for the team.
This was the attacking midfielder’s second strike on the trot. His last-gasp strike against Arrows a fortnight ago handed Chiefs a nine-point advantage at the summit of the Absa Premiership.
But the highlight from the game last night was the long-awaited return to action of Chiefs’ highly rated goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune.
The 32-year-old last kicked an official ball in a league match almost five months ago.
He was, however, not really tested by Eagles, so observers could not make a conclusive summation of his overall performance on the night.
The one-time Bafana Bafana number one, who wore the armband for Amakhosi last night, featured in just two official games for Chiefs so far this season before he was sidelined by a groin injury.
The game also saw Chiefs’ recent signing Anthony Agay mark his PSL debut as a late substitute.
At Loftus, Sibusiso Vilakazi’s goal in the 27th minute decided the Tshwane derby as Sundowns continued their dominance of Matsatsantsa a Pitori. However, the game was overshadowed by an injury to Thapelo Morena, who appeared to twist his ankle badly while pursuing the ball with SuperSport defender Onismor Bhasera.
Elsewhere, Peter Shalulile’s brace catapulted Highlands Park to the Last 16 as his side overpowered NFD promotion hopefuls Uthongathi FC 2-0 in Tembisa.
Last night’s action concluded an eventful few days, which saw defending champions TS Galaxy relinquish the Ke Yona title at the first hurdle. Galaxy suffered a 3-0 defeat to Chippa United on Wednesday.
The spotlight will now fall on the game between Orlando Pirates and Bidvest Wits at Orlando Stadium today, which is no doubt the pick of today’s fixtures as the battle to gain momentum in the R7 million competition hots up.
