By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Mamelodi Sundowns progressed to the Nedbank Cup quarter-finals after a hard-fought 2-0 win over Mpheni Home Defenders in the Round of 16 match at the Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The match was pretty much one-sided, with Sundowns dominating in terms of ball possession, by almost 80 per cent throughout the game.
The first goal came early as Tashreeq Matthews’ impressive back heel effort made its way into the back of the net in seven minutes of play after receiving a pass from Arthur de Oliveira Sales.
Mpheni Home Defenders could hardly get a foot in when the home team doubled their lead through Bathusi Aubaas’ driving shot into the bottom corner of the net in the 27th minute.
Sundowns went into the break two goals ahead and the beginning of the second half was the event that might’ve caused a bit of panic as Matthews was sent off for a dangerous challenge.
The Betway Premiership team held on however and didn’t concede despite being a man down, advancing into the quarterfinals of the Nedbank Cup in the process.
The draw for the Nedbank Cup quarterfinals will be conducted at the SuperSport studios on Monday at 6pm.
There will be no restrictions or seedings to the draw, with the first team out of the hat to play at home against the next in the first tie and so on.
It promises to be an exciting field with Kaizer Chiefs, who have won a record 13 cups but are looking for their first trophy in 10 seasons, and Orlando Pirates, who are next on the list with 10.
Both booked their berths in the last eight with wins on Saturday.
Also into the last eight are Marumo Gallants, Stellenbosch and SuperSport United plus Durban City, the leaders of the Motsepe Foundation Championship who upset TS Galaxy on Friday in the first game in this season’s competition that has been forced into extra time.
The last place is still to be determined as the Royal AM saga continues unresolved. The Pietermaritzburg-based club, whose matches have been suspended after severe financial problems, must still play their first-round tie against Milford and the winner is due to meet Sekhukhune United in the second round.
The quarterfinal ties are due to be played on the weekend of March 7-9.