TS Galaxy progressed to the Carling Knockout semi-finals after beating Sekhukhune United 4-2 on penalties in Polokwane on Saturday night.
After the match had ended goalless in extra time, Galaxy slotted all four of their penalty kicks on the night, while Sekhukhune missed two, including Fiacre Ntwari saving one.
TS Galaxy joined Stellenbosch FC, Richards Bay and AmaZulu in the semi-finals.
This could prove to be a catastrophic result for Sekhukhune United’s coach Brandon Truter, given reports that his future hugely depended on winning this game.
Truter, who’s skating on thin ice due to a tough run of results in the league, didn’t make things easier for himself tonight, having made a futile goalkeeping change for the penalty shootout.
Truter withdrew Badra Sangare for Ntokozo Mtsweni, who was their penalty hero against Stellenbosch in the Nedbank Cup semi-final, but that didn’t help them during the shootout.
The first half was a lacklustre affair, as both teams failed to create clear-cut chances despite churning out a physical battle in the middle of the park.
In the opening stages, TS Galaxy’s Jamie Webber tested the waters first with a timid shot that was saved by Fiacre Ntwari.
But that was all the hosts had to offer in the half, as the tempo of the match died down, until the band of the Rockets made their way into the stadium.
That support seemed to have injected some vigour into Galaxy, as they dominated possession and came closer to finding the lead before the half-hour mark.
Sead Ramovic’s men had worked their way into Sekhukhune’s box before a through ball found Sphiwe Mahlangu one-on-one with goalkeeper Badra Sangare.
But instead of slotting past Sangare, Mahlangu’s effort fell to Lehlohonolo Mojela, who was dispossessed by Daniel Cardoso before he cleared the danger.
The visitors continued to try and make use of their newly found possession up front, but they went into the interval still level with the hosts.
The two teams rang the changes early in the second half in their front line, with Samir Nurkovic coming on for Galaxy, while Chibuike Ohizu came on for Sekhukhune.
But while that saw both teams make more inroads’ into each other’s final third, the half ended goalless as Ohizu’s header over the crossbar was the only chance.
Nurkovic should have found the breakthrough for Galaxy in the first half of extra-time, instead he rattled the crossbar with a sizzling shot inside the box.
And that was the last chance of extra time as the two teams went into penalties, where the substitution of Mtsweni proved to be futile as Ntwari was the hero instead.
@Mihlalibaleka