Kugquba umoya wolonwabo wodwa eMpumalanga emva kokuba iTS Galaxy ibethe iMamelodi Sundowns ngo’5-4 kumapenela emdlalweni wokuqala weCarling Knockout Cup obubanjelwe eMbombela Stadium namhlanje ebusuku. Kuye kwanyanzeleka ukuba usompempe, uMasixole Bambiso, alandise ixesha emva kokuba umdlalo uphele amaqela ebambene ngamagowuli amabini macala. Iqela likaRulani Mokoena liye emdlalweni wanamhlanje linenqwaba yabadlali abangekhoyo. Abangaphezulu kwesihlanu basendleleni ebuyela eMzantsi Afrika emva kokudlalela aBafana Bafana izolo.
Kanti abanye abonzakeleyo baquka uPeter Shalulile. Umdlalo utake iintlantsi zisuka. Njengeqela ebelidlalela ekhaya, iTS Galaxy iyisukele iSundowns ebingekahlangani kakuhle kwimizuzu yokuqala kwisigaba sokuqala. Ibhalise kuqala ebhodini iTS Galaxy ngebhola efakwe ngempazamo nguBongani Zungu ezipalini zakhe. Kudlule imizuzu emithathu, uMlungisi Mbunjana wafaka igowuli lesibini leTS Galaxy ngentloko emva kokufumana ibhola ebisuka kwicala lasekunene. Ligowuli abaninzi abacinge ukuba liyigqibile iDowns ebuye ngamandla.
Izinga lomdlalo liye lanyuka kakhulu ngoba iSundowns iye yalwela ukucutha ityala. Kude kwayiwa kwixesha lokuphumla kodwa iSundowns isahamba emva ngo’2-0 nakubeni ibiyiyo ebidlala umdlalo ongcono. Ibuyele ebaleni iphantsi koxinizelelo iSundowns ngoba bekufuneka ifumane amagowuli amathathu ukuze iphumelele umdlalo. Njengeqela eliphambili eMzantsi Afrika, iSundowns izibonakalisile ukuba iyakwazi ukulwa. Emzuzwini wamashumi amahlanu anesibhozo, uMarcelo Allende ufake igowuli elihle ekude.
Elo gowuli liyinike amandla iSundowns eye yaphazanyiswa kukukhutshwa kukaZungu ngekhadi elibomvu emva kokuba ophule uBernard Parker obalekiselwe esibhedlele. Nakubeni kunjalo, iSundowns ifumene igowuli lesibini elifakwe nguGaston Sirino ongene kwisigaba sesibini somdlalo. Umdlalo uye kumapenela emva kokuba kungabangakho iqela eliphumeleleyo emdlalweni. Emva kokukhatywa kwamapenela, iTS Galaxy iye yaphumelela. Ngaloo ndlela, iSundowns ibe liqela lokuqala elikhutshwe kwiCarling Knockout Cup eqalayo ukudlalelwa ngamaqela onke kwiDStv Premiership.
Imvumi yaseNgqeleni ibuye neembasa ezimbini kwiiMAMAs!