Polokwane crash out of Telkom Knockout after penalties

by Brian Lee

Sunday Nov 19, 2017. 18:35

Polokwane City crashed out of the Telkom Knockout after losing 4-3 in a penalty shoot-out after their semifinal match against Bloemfontein Celtic at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Sunday afternoon ended 1-1.

Celtic will now take on Wits in the final of the TKO after they beat Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 on Saturday in the cup competition’s other semifinal.

On Sunday regular time ended goalless between Polokwane and Celtic, but we saw two goals in extra time courtesy of strikes from Tshegofatso Mabaso and Rendani Ndou respectively which saw 120 minutes of play end 1-1.

The away side started the better of the teams with Kabelo Mahlasela firing a low 18-yard shot just inches wide of the Polokwane goal in the tenth minute.

In the 21st minute Rise and Shine mounted their first real attack when Salulani Phiri created some space inside the box, but he saw his 16-yard effort brilliantly saved by the Celtic keeper.

On the half hour mark we came close to the opening goal when Celtic’s Alfred Ndengane met a cross with a strong header, but his ten-yard effort skimmed the wrong side of the post.

The half ended 0-0.

Celtic started the second half as they ended the opening stanza and went close to scoring again on the hour mark when Mbhazima Rikhotso met a cross into the box with a powerful header, but the Polokwane keeper made a great fingertip save to deny him.

In the 75th minute Rendani Ndou had Polokwane first real chance in the second half when his 20-yard shot went narrowly wide of the target with the Celtic keeper well beaten.

Neither team could find a winning goal in the last 15 minutes of regular time as the match ended all-square and consequently went into extra-time.

Thirteen minutes into extra-time Celtic finally broke the deadlock on the day when Tshegofatso Mabaso found the back of the net from 14-yards out after a well-worked free-kick to give Phunya Sele Sele a 1-0 lead going into half-time of extra-time.

City threw numbers forward in the second half of extra-time and managed to find an equaliser in the 115th minute when Rendani Ndou headed home a corner-kick as the game ended 1-1, and entered the dreaded penalty shoot-out.

Celtic came out victorious after winning the penalty shoot-out 4-3.

Polokwane City (0) 1 (Ndou 115’)
Bloemfontein Celtic (0) 1 (Moabaso 103’)
*Celtic won 4-3 in a penalty shoot-out

Penalty sequence:
Maponyane scores, Rikhotso scores, Ramagalela misses target, Lelabika scores, Maluleke penalty is saved, Nyondo scores, Tlolane scores, Baloyi penalty is saved, Mbonani scores, Mabaso scores.

Teams

Polokwane: Chigova, Semenya, Ravhuhali (Hlongwane 110’), Mbonani, Maponyane, Seabi, Musona (Tlolane 89’), Ramagalela, J. Maluleke, Ndou, Phiri (Mngomezulu 105’).

Celtic: Tignyemb, Pfumbidzai, Rikhotso, Ndengane, Mabena (Nyondo 113’), Mahlasela (Mabaso 90’), Letlabika, Baloyi, Hotto, Nyundu (Motshegwa 82’), Phalane.