AmaTuks dump hapless Cape Town Spurs out of Nedbank Cup, Sekhukhune also advance
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Cape Town Spurs head coach Ernst Middendorp FILE - Cape Town Spurs head coach Ernst Middendorp. Photo: Itumeleng English/African News Agency (ANA)
Cape Town Spurs’ season when from bad to worse on Wednesday when they were eliminated from the Nedbank Cup by the University of Pretoria, who are in a lower division.
Delano Abrahams scored the only goal from the penalty spot to deny Ernst Middendorp’s charges a chance to redeem themselves after a horrific season in the league.
Full-time in Pretoria…full focus turns to our league campaign! #CAPETOWNSPURS#URBANWARRIORS#PSL#DSTVPREMIERSHIP#OURYOUTHOURFUTURE#CAPETOWN#SOUTHAFRICA pic.twitter.com/PGMm6dpcSC
— Cape Town Spurs FC (@CapeTownSpursFC) February 21, 2024
The Urban Warriors, who picked up only their second win of the season on the weekend, would have fancied their chances to advance in the Nedbank Cup against the National First Division leaders.
All the momentum picked up in Saturday’s rare win over AmaZulu went to nothing as they were unable to find an opening in Wednesday evening’s clash at the Tuks Stadium in the nation’s capital.
Elimination from the cup might be a blessing in disguise for Middendorp and Spurs, though, as they can now focus solely on their bid to retain their top flight status.
With 13 games left to play in the league, Spurs trail second-from-bottom Richards Bay by six points.
At this point in the season, it seems like the best they can play for is a place in the relegation/promotion play-offs as they need a 12-point swing to completely escape the drop zone.
In the day’s other game, Sekhukhune United advanced to the next round after beating Highlands Park 5-4 on penalties.
After the game finished goalless after 90 minutes, it sparked to life in extra time when Tresor Yamba opened the scoring 94th minute for the top flight club.
With the end of the game approaching, Sekhukhune thought they did enough to secure the win, but Emilio da Costa Abreu scored an equaliser with the very last kick of the game to send it to penalties.
IOL Sport