Staff Reporter.
Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila have made history by winning their first ever major trophy, lifting the Nedbank Cup at the Free State Stadium on Saturday evening after a hard-fought 1-0 win over Chippa United.
Tshakhuma started the stronger of the two teams, with the likes of Thabo Rakhale, Celimpilo Ngema and Thabo Mnyamane seeing plenty of the ball and forcing Chippa onto the back foot in the early minutes.
Chippa gradually settled into a rhythm and began to establish themselves in the game, but TTM then claimed the lead out of nothing in the 27th minute. Ndabayithethwa Ndlondo tried his luck from long range and saw his effort deflect off the head of defender Frederic Nsabiyumva to wrong-foot goalkeeper Ismail Watenga and find the back of the net for 1-0.
The Chilli Boys’ best chance to level the game before the halftime break arrived on 36 minutes when a strong run from Thabiso Lebitso offered a shooting chance from the right of the penalty area, but he blazed an effort high and wide.
Tshakhuma opened the second half confidently and should have added to their lead within 90 seconds of the restart: Rakhale provided a great ball for Lerato Lamola from the left, but the striker’s low shot was straight at a grateful Watenga.
Midway through the second half Chippa introduced Bienvenu Eva Nga to play alongside Augustine Kwem in a physically-powerful front duo, while midfield reinforcements also arrived soon after in the shape of Mduduzi Sibeko and Ayabulela Konqobe.
However, despite being very much on the back foot, Vhadau Vha Damani almost put the game to bed in the 83rd minute when they countered quickly and the ball was fed to a lone Bradley Theron, who cut inside and fired a shot inches wide of the upright.
Thabo Mnyamane then struck a ferocious shot towards the top left-hand corner which brought an acrobatic save out of Watenga as time began to run out.
In the end, those missed opportunities late on would not come back to haunt TTM, as they became the first team in the history of the Nedbank Cup to win the competition.
TTM coach Dylan Kerr said his side ‘defended like heroes’ and “Credit to everybody,” Kerr said after the match.
It’s a great achievement for TTM after the season that they’ve had. The players have been through so many ups and downs, mainly downs, but today they thoroughly deserved it.
Chippa United head coach Vladislav said “we tried to approach this game like any other game without the pressure. But unfortunately, first half an hour we didn’t exist. it’s like we were enchanted.”
“The last 15 minutes of the first half we started to play something, we started to recover from the shock of conceding a goal from that rebound. The first half from both sides there was no chances and we get that cracker if I may say and then we were shocked.
“Second half, we came like a different team. We looked much more organised, much more better, more offensive. We moved more but we couldn’t penetrate. We couldn’t create the chances. Maybe one or two but it was not enough for us to recover the game. It’s sad for those who work hard to be in a final and now to lose it.
“I believe that we must focus on the relegation campaign and try to get ourselves safe in the PSL. That’s the only way we can turn.