Sundowns edge out Golden Arrows on away goals after MTN8 semi-final confusion

Golden Arrows coach Pitso Dladla has explained how confusion over the away-goal rule led some of his players to believe they had reached the MTN8 final after their 3-2 defeat by Mamelodi Sundowns at King Zwelithini Stadium on Sunday.

Golden Arrows players celebrated after scoring their second goal of the match, despite still trailing Sundowns 3-2 on the night. They had scored an away goal in the first leg in Pretoria and some members of the team believed that goal meant they had moved ahead in the semi-final.

Dladla said the misunderstanding was not about the rule itself, but about the scoreline.

“They knew the rules, the only confusion with one of the players was the actual scoreline. That was the only confusion where he thought it was 2-2,” Dladla said.

“That also means with the goal that we scored away, we were in front, leading 3-2, but the actual scoreline was 3-2, then again, we kept going.”

The tie became more difficult for Golden Arrows when Marcelo Allende scored Sundowns’ second goal. Dladla said he immediately understood that the away-goal rule had shifted the advantage towards the reigning African champions.

The aggregate score was level at 3-3, but Sundowns progressed because they had scored three away goals.

“We were under pressure because as soon as they scored the second goal, we knew that the away-goal rule favoured them,” he said.

Sundowns held on to secure their place in the MTN8 final despite Golden Arrows’ efforts to find another goal. Dladla acknowledged the disappointment of going out after a tie in which his side had competed strongly against a team he described as the African champions.

“They never gave up. They kept going. That’s their goal. It feels bad, but what can you do? It’s one of the things of the tournament. The final score [across both legs] was 3-all, but the away-goal rule is the difference. That’s why one feels sorry for the players, not just for such a performance against any team but against the African champions.

“We can only learn and grow from this performance.”

Dladla said the result would provide a learning experience for his squad, while insisting that he remained proud of the players’ effort and application.

Golden Arrows will have little time to dwell on the semi-final defeat, with Sundowns returning to King Zwelithini Stadium on Sunday. Dladla said the week ahead would give him an opportunity to prepare his players for another meeting with the Pretoria side.

“We are proud of these boys. What you see here on match day is what we do every day in training. How you play is how you train.”