Good preparation and a massive dollop of mental fortitude saw Lamontville Golden Arrows to a shock 1-0 away win over Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 semifinal on Sunday, said coach Pitso Dladla.
The first-leg upset, after Sede Dion’s 38th-minute goal, was the first time Sundowns had lost a home game since Chiefs beat them in the 2025 Nedbank Cup semifinal some 14 months ago and gives Arrows a massive advantage for the return leg in Umlazi next Sunday.
Sede Dion with a strikers finish for Arrows😮💨
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“We came prepared. We knew that there would be moments that we would suffer without the ball, but we prepared to remain in our structures,” Dladla explained at the post-match press conference.
“Our levels of concentration were high. But we also did well when we were in possession. There were moments when we were able to put passes together. There were also moments where we created chances from the turnovers from the counter-attack.
“I believe if we could have done better, we could have got one or two more goals, but one should be honest towards the end of the game, we were defending too deep, which is something that we did not want, but the game forced us to do that.
“It looked scary, but we did survive.”
Dladla, who took over at Arrows at the start of the season after winning the Nedbank Cup with Durban City, said the surprise victory made him happy for several reasons.
“For the players to have worked so hard, play their hearts out, leave the skin on the feet of play and then at the end of the day, at the end of the game, managing to win the game.
“Sometimes you get the same desire, same commitment, but you don't win the game, and then one feels for these players, but one is also proud for the players who played their hearts out like that.”
Arrows will now look to be a bit more expansive in Sunday’s return leg, said Dladla.
“Remember the nature of the tournament. The semis are played over two legs. You get a goal away, you’ve got an advantage.
“So we will be more aggressive in our approach, because if we can be able to score first at home, then we’ll be in a massively advantageous position,” the Arrows coach added.