Staff Reporter.
Sekhukhune United advanced to the quarterfinal stage of the Nedbank Cup on Friday night, following their 2-0 victory against Cape Town Spurs at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.
The game started at a swift pace, with neither side able to settle on the ball. In looking to establish possession early on, Babina Noko edged the Mother City outfit slightly.
Sekhukhune began applying pressure on the Spurs backline which, at the time, was well dealt with by the likes of Clayton Daniels and Liam Bern.
The long ball into the Spurs area troubled the Urban Warriors defence as Sekhukhune looked dangerous from wide areas on the pitch.
Spurs fought back by pushing high up on the pitch as Jaydan Petersen and Boitumelo Radiopane provided energy in the final third.
As the 20th minute mark approached, Babina Noko occupied 60 per cent of the ball, with their pressure paying off midway through the first half.
In a swift counter-attacking moment, Victor Letsoalo was picked out on the edge of the Spurs penalty area, as his well-placed shot left goalkeeper Lincoln Vyver rooted to the spot.
Sekhukhune were awarded a penalty five minutes before the break, with Morne Nel’s infringement inside the Spurs box summoning the referee to point to the spot.
In facing Vyver, Roderick Kabwe calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net.
Babina Noko asserted themselves on the ball immediately after the break and stroked the ball around with ease. Despite being two goals to the good, Sekhukhune continued to press on in search of a third goal.
With an hour of football played, both teams looked to their respective benches in seeking to manage the remainder of the game. The Urban Warriors were confined to guarding their own 18-yard-area in soaking up the home team’s pressure.
Cape Town Spurs did most of the defending in the second 45 and had sporadic counter-attacking moments with little end product.
The visiting team struggled to get into the game in spite of their attacking substitutions, while Babina Noko kicked into game management mode.
As the referee called time on the encounter, Sekhukhune United advanced to the quarterfinals of the Nedbank Cup at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium.