Dithejane strikes for Chicago Fire as Makhanya helps Rangers reach cup final

Puso Dithejane scored within seconds of coming on for Chicago Fire, while Olwethu Makhanya helped Rangers reach the Scottish League Cup final during an impressive weekend for South African players overseas.

With Bafana Bafana’s upcoming international commitments approaching, the performances will provide further encouragement for coach Pitso Mosimane as he assesses the progress of South Africans playing abroad.

Dithejane came off the bench to score in Chicago Fire’s 4-2 away win against Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer on Saturday.

The former TS Galaxy winger was introduced in the 87th minute and found the net just 36 seconds later, scoring in the 88th minute.

He completed a move involving Andrew Gutman and Robert Lewandowski to register his third MLS goal of the season and round off Chicago’s four-goal haul.

Dithejane’s compatriot Mbekezeli Mbokazi also played a key role in the victory, completing the full match at centre-back as Chicago claimed all three points.

The result left Chicago Fire fourth in the Eastern Conference with one regular-season fixture still to play.

Makhanya helps Rangers into final

In Scotland, Bafana Bafana defender Olwethu Makhanya played all 90 minutes as Rangers defeated Aberdeen 1-0 in their Scottish League Cup semi-final.

The centre-back produced another assured display at Ibrox and helped Rangers keep a clean sheet in a closely contested match.

The only goal came in the 83rd minute, when Ryan Naderi scored to send Rangers through to the final.

Makhanya has made an encouraging start to his time at Rangers and is quickly becoming an important part of their defence. His latest appearance extended an impressive run since his arrival in Scotland.

Rangers will now prepare for the final as they aim to win silverware under manager Derek McInnes.

Mofokeng involved in Union victory

Relebohile Mofokeng played 84 minutes for Royale Union Saint-Gilloise as they earned a 2-1 away victory over SK Beveren in the Belgian Pro League.

Union opened the scoring shortly before half-time through Louis Patris, before Guilherme Smith added a second early in the second half.

SK Beveren reduced the deficit through Arno Verschueren, but Royale Union Saint-Gilloise held on despite being reduced to 10 men after Dylan Aquino was sent off.

Mofokeng nearly added to the score shortly after the interval, but his close-range attempt went narrowly wide.

The former Orlando Pirates attacker is continuing to build experience in Belgium as he seeks to strengthen his position within the Bafana Bafana set-up.