Chippa United booked their ticket into the Round of 16 of the Nedbank Cup this weekend, following an eventful 2-1 win against Golden Arrows at the Mpumalanga Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Chippa started the game on a positive note and were awarded a corner in the first minute as a result of their early pressure. However, Arrows did well to avert the danger and immediately attempted to gain control of the tie.
Chippa Utd take the win over Golden Arrows to book their spot in the #NedbankCup Round of 16 ⚽⚡
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) January 25, 2025
Golden Arrows 1 - 2 Chippa Utd#SSDiski pic.twitter.com/52vsVL31Hd
The game opened up after the 10-minute mark following a period of end-to-end action at the Mpumalanga Stadium. Despite Arrows’ playing against the cosh during this period, Angelo Van Rooi appeared to be a positive outlet in attack for Abafana Bes’thende, especially in counter-attacking situations.
In what was a theme throughout the first 45, Chippa continued to chip away at the Arrows backline as the hosts struggled to progress the ball out of their own half.
The Durban-based side piled on the pressure toward the halftime whistle but were often met with aggressive defending by the travelling outfit. However, the Chilli boys did not hold back and summoned goalkeeper Ismail Watenga into action shortly before the break.
Nevertheless, with neither team able to break the deadlock, the score remained at 0-0 at halftime.
Arrows looked much livelier at the start of the second-half compared to that of their showings at the initial whistle of the match. Van Rooi, along with Velemseni Ndwandwe, were the attackers -in-chief for Arrows, which caused Chippa to play on the back foot leading up to the hour-mark.
In what was a largely tense affair in the Mpumalanga province, Chippa regained control of the match with around 20 minutes to go. Then, as a result of their forward momentum, the Chilli Boys took the lead in the 71st minute as Sinoxolo Kwayiba added his name to the scoresheet with a well taken header inside the Arrows box.
However, Arrows replied moments later as Brandon Theron scored an equalising goal in controversial fashion. Following a swift attacking move into the Chippa box, Theron’s shot from the far side corner appeared to have remained in play, however, the goal eventually stood as per the referee’s final decision.
Then, following yet another frantic bit of football, Chippa took the lead for the second time after putting much pressure on Arrows inside their 18-yard-area. Theron, who had scored at the other end of the pitch was then accredited with an own-goal in the 77th minute.
Nevertheless, Chippa United managed to maintain their lead toward the final whistle and subsequently book their ticket in the next round of the tournament.
Golden Arrows: (0) 1 (Theron 75’)
Chippa United: (0) 2 (Kwabiya 71’, Theron 77’ OG )
Golden Arrows: Watenga, Theron, Shitolo, Nxadi (Malinga 81’), Matshiyane (Sibeko 81’), Ncube (Gumbi 46’), Mthanti (Tlolane 68’), Ndwandwe, Sibiya, Van Rooi, Cele (Moon 56’)
Chippa United: Nwabali, Modise, Malaoa, Makhele, Kammies (Ndlovu 79’), Matrose (Philander 65’), Baloni (Tyongwana 66’), Magqwaka, Teto (Mqokozo 87’), Kwabiya, Eva Nga (Martin 66’)