Rayners sends Sundowns into Carling Knockout Cup semi-finals

Mamelodi Sundowns secured a place in the Carling Knockout Cup semi-finals after Iqraam Rayners’ 69th-minute goal gave them a 1-0 victory over Lamontville Golden Arrows at Loftus Versfeld on Tuesday night.

The result came in the first of the competition’s four quarter-finals, with Sundowns playing ahead of the other three ties because they face USM Alger in the CAF Super Cup at the same stadium on Sunday at 3pm.

Arrows were determined to make a strong impression for their new coach, Mandla Ncikazi, who left Orlando Pirates as assistant to Abdeslam Ouaddou last week. The KwaZulu-Natal side made the task difficult for Sundowns, who were unable to find a way through for much of the match.

Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso also made several changes to his starting line-up with the CAF Super Cup in mind. The Portuguese manager rested a number of key players and instead selected several squad members who have played important roles during the club’s demanding schedule.

Ricardo Goss started in goal, while Malibongwe Khoza, Mothobi Mvala, Antonio van Wyk, Bathusi Aubaas, Sphelele Mkhulise and Arthur Sales were also given opportunities from the start.

That “back-up” line-up took time to break down a disciplined and hard-working Arrows team. The decisive moment eventually arrived in the second half when Van Wyk moved in from the left and shifted the ball onto his right foot before shooting from outside the penalty area.

Rayners got his head to the effort, redirecting it beyond Arrows goalkeeper Dumisani Msibi to put Sundowns ahead.

Arrows could not find an equaliser, allowing Sundowns to progress to the last four while preserving their focus on Sunday’s meeting with USM Alger.

That match gives Sundowns the chance to win a third trophy of the season, following their successes in the MTN8 and the African-Asian-Pacific Cup.