The weekend’s fixtures in the Carling Knockout Cup provided tons of twists and turns in the competition as the PSL teams battled for a spot in the semifinals of the tournament.
The first quarterfinal played had a dramatic conclusion as Richards Bay saw off Cape Town City at the King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday.
The KZN outfit did well to keep composed even after losing one of their players to a red card towards the end of extra time.
The Natal Rich Boyz won the penalty shootout 5-4 after playing to a goalless draw and booked themselves a spot into the semifinals of the competition powered by the fans.
Kaizer Chiefs were defeated 4-0 by Mamelodi Sundowns at the FNB Stadium, leading to outrage from fans and also prompting newly appointed head coach Nasreddine Nabi to apologise.
"Apologies to the fans today, we are very sorry," Nabi told SuperSport after the match.
"Today was a tough lesson, but in football it happens. Even big clubs can lose by a score like this. We saw it last week with Real Madrid (they lost 4-0 to Barcelona).”
"We need to lift ourselves up from today, lift the players, and encourage them to go back to the training pitch, to work harder to make our beautiful fans happier next time,” he added.
DRAMATIC SUNDAY
Sunday’s matches also saw a bit of drama take place as last season’s finalists TS Galaxy were beaten 1-0 by PSL newcomers Magesi.
An inspiring match-winning save from Zimbabwean goalkeeper Elvis Chipeze made sure Dikwena tsa Meetse booked a spot in the semis.
Marumo Gallants also pulled off an upset of their own as they beat Stellenbosch 1-0 at the Seisa Ramabodu Stadium, and as confirmed by the PSL following both games, the team can have something to look forward to should they make it to the final of the competition.
The final of the Carling Knockout Cup will be played at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein. The date and kick-off times are set to be announced soon, according to the PSL.
CARLING BLACK LABEL KNOCKOUT CUP SEMI-FINAL FIXTURES
Richards Bay v Magesi
Marumo Gallants v Mamelodi Sundowns