Golden Arrows will be haunted by what could easily be called the miss of the season. With nine minutes left on the clock, the score locked at 1–1, and Durban City reduced to ten men, Arrows had the perfect chance to snatch a semifinal spot.
Lungelo Nguse carved open the defence with a pinpoint ball from the left, leaving Thokozani Khumalo staring at an empty net. Under pressure but still in control, Khumalo only needed the simplest of touches — yet somehow steered the ball wide.
Arrows pressed again, creating more openings, but the killer blow never came. Extra time brought no winner, and once the game slipped to penalties, Durban City held their nerve to send Arrows packing.
Coach Manqoba Mngqithi didn’t dwell on the heartbreak. His post-match tone suggested the Nedbank Cup exit was secondary; his eyes are firmly set on steering Arrows into the league’s top eight.
Trust the process 🥹🤞🏾💚💛 le team yazi bhola..⚽️#upbackthroughpodcast #goldenarrows #footballlovers pic.twitter.com/MOkpbTjXHn
— Lamontville Golden Arrows FC (@goldenarrowsfc1) March 9, 2026
MATCH RECAP...
Durban City carved their name into club history with a dramatic penalty shootout triumph over KZN rivals Golden Arrows, edging through 5–4 after a tense 1–1 draw in Durban.
Fezile Gcaba broke the deadlock in the 36th minute, latching onto Saziso Magawana’s clever assist to notch his first goal of the campaign — and City’s first-ever first-half strike in this year’s tournament. Arrows clawed back after the break, Thokozani Khumalo levelling in the 59th minute from Ayabulela Maxwele’s delivery.
The contest tilted when Athini Jodwana saw red in the 79th minute, leaving Arrows to battle on with ten men. Despite their resilience, the match drifted into extra time — a familiar fate for both sides. For City, it was their fifth consecutive Nedbank Cup tie to go beyond 90 minutes, and once again penalties decided the outcome.
Arrows’ poor record in shootouts against fellow KZN rivals continued, while City kept their composure to clinch a third shootout victory in four attempts.
The result sends Durban City into the semifinals for the first time in their history, still unbeaten in six matches across all competitions — though remarkably, they’ve yet to win a Cup game in regulation time.
For Arrows, it’s another bitter quarterfinal exit, their second in succession, and a continuation of their struggles in extra-time battles. For City, it’s a breakthrough moment: a side that has lived on the edge now finds itself one step from the final.