Staff Reporter.
AmaZulu joined University of Pretoria in the last 16 of the Nedbank Cup after beating last year’s finalists Sekhukhune United 2-0 at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Thursday evening.
AmaTuks beat Moroka Swallows 2-1 on Wednesday to become the first side to reach the quarterfinals.
Sekhukhune got the better of AmaZulu in the first half when it came to possession and goal attempts, but could not find the back of the net and it ended up coming to their disadvantage. Both teams showed good defensive work and Usuthu’s Veli Mothwa was commanding in goal, making saves and taking control against dangerous balls in the penalty area.
The goal came for AmaZulu in the 25th minute, when defensive confusion from Babina Noko caused the ball to go into the back of the net, as it came off Junior Dion close to the goal. Dion was credited for the goal, and Sekhukhune players protested that the ball had come off of his arm after a failed clearance.
The referee allowed the goal to stand and Sekhukhune showed hunger to make matters level. Their captain, Linda Mntambo came close in the dying stages of the half but could not convert his shot as it went wide. It was a frustrating half for the Limpopo outfit who went into the break a goal behind.
The second half of the match saw Babina Noko push harder for the equaliser, but Mothwa was in impeccable form and they couldn’t get the ball past the keeper. Vusumzi Mncube kicked in a decent cross as Chibuike Ohizu was waiting for the ball at the back post, but he missed the target.
Victor Letsoalo, who came in as a substitute for Usuthu against his former team easily got the ball into the back of the net in the 62nd minute after a back pass went wrong, causing Sekhukhune goalkeeper Renaldo Leaner to be dispossessed. Doubling their lead, AmaZulu remained solid at the back as Mothwa continued to hold things down in goal.
Michael Sarpong would hit the post with his shot in stoppage time, but it was not to be. The result sees AmaZulu make it into the quarterfinals of the Nedbank Cup following a defensive masterclass and making the most of the chances they had.