Ronwen Williams saves Sundowns blushes as they beat AmaTuks on penalties

By SABC Sport
12th April 2024

Mamelodi Sundowns were made to work hard to advance to the Nedbank Cup semifinals, edging a spirited University of Pretoria on penalties on Friday.

True to form, It was Masandawana who enjoyed the much brighter start. Brazilian import Lucas Ribeiro Costa was in space outside the box and produced an absolutely stunning curling shot that found the back of the net in just the eighth minute.

But the students were not to be denied. They kept being aggressive upfront and finally their efforts paid off on the half-hour mark. Sundowns failed to deal with a long ball into the box, which was flicked on by Kamogelo Pheeane for Delano Abrahams, who fired the ball home from close range.

Sundowns star Teboho Mokoena almost managed to score before the break, but his accurate freekick drew a superlative save from AmaTuks' gloveman Edward Maova.

The second stanza saw AmaTuks defend valiantly, with Sundowns failing to break it down. In fact, the students almost caught the heavyweights on the break and Abrahams nearly got a second just eight minutes from time, forcing a great save from Bafana captain Ronwen Williams.

In extra time, Maova was called on once again, this time tipping a Bathusi Aubaas effort over the crossbar.

In the penalty shootout, Williams was the hero for the Brazilians, saving two spot kicks while Peter Shalulie drilled the winning penalty to bring the odyssey to an end.