Mntambo brace secures Sekhukhune narrow win over Milford to set up quarter-final clash with Sundowns

SEKHUKHUNE UNITED held on for dear life to book their place in the Nedbank Cup quarter-finals against Mamelodi Sundowns with a 2-1 victory over Motsepe Foundation side Milford FC in KwaMashu yesterday.

Captain Linda Mntambo scored a first-half brace, which gave hopes of a smooth sailing into the last eight for Ba Bina Noko. However, the Stallions pulled one back just before the break through Menzi Chilli, forcing the elite league side to fight a rearguard battle for most of the second half.

Badra Sangaré, the Ivorian goalkeeper, came on for Namibian Lloydt Kazapua and had to put his international experience to great use as the lower-division outfit threw everything but the proverbial kitchen sink at Sekhukhune in an attempt to at least force the match into extra time.

Five times in the final five minutes, Sangaré was called upon to rescue Lehlohonolo Seema’s men. His fisted shots were sent over for corner kicks, and he clung onto others, justifying the coach’s decision to bring him on.

Kazapua had literally given Milford a lifeline when it had appeared Mntambo had set Sekhukhune up for the equivalent of a stroll in the park. The Brave Warriors goalkeeper looked to have made a routine catch from a corner kick three minutes before the break. But as he descended from his leap, he allowed the ball to slip out of his hands, and Chilli gleefully slotted it home.

Mntambo opened the scoring on 20 minutes by smashing home a cross from Shaune Mogaila. He made it 2-0 on 33 minutes, latching onto a through ball and then making a run for goal to expertly score past the advancing goalkeeper.

Twice he could have completed a hat-trick before the halftime whistle, but his attempt following a sweet cross from the left by Letlapa was cleared after he had earlier fluffed a good chance.

The tide turned after the break as Milford went at it hammer and tongs, the KwaZulu-Natal side eager to register yet another elite league scalp after they knocked Kaizer Chiefs out of this competition last year. But they found Sangaré in uncompromising form, with the Ivorian punching just about every shot away for corners.

On the one occasion they did beat him late in the match, Milford could only watch in disbelief as Sifiso Mdluli’s shot crashed against the crossbar and went over.

Sekhukhune's celebrations at the end of the match were more of relief than delight as they scraped through by the narrowest of margins to set up a quarterfinal clash with Mamelodi Sundowns.