Richards Bay FC staged a late comeback to secure a place in the semi-final of the Carling Knockout after defeating Durban City 3-1 on Saturday. The two wounded teams from KwaZulu-Natal clashed at the Umhlathuze Sports Complex in a battle for redemption and cup victory.
Durban City were coming off a loss to another KZN side, AmaZulu FC. Likewise, Richards Bay had just lost 2-1 to Orbit College in the Betway Premiership. The fierce battle in Zululand began with an early warning for Durban City forward Athini Jodwana.
After some end-to-end action from both sides, the first significant scoring opportunity came in the 11th minute. A perfectly executed cross found Letie Koapeng at the far post, but Ian Otieno made a crucial save to deny City an early goal.
The game continued with tense exchanges of ball possession until the officials called a cooling break in the 25th minute. A slow tempo in the first 45 minutes was likely due to the hot weather. During this period, the home team had a rare scoring opportunity in the 40th minute. Gabadinho Mhango found himself in a good position to score but slipped and missed his shot.
SECOND HALF DRAMA
Durban City took an early second-half lead, stunning the home side with a brilliantly executed move. Midfielder Trevor Mokwena delivered a strike from outside the box to give the away team the opening goal of the match.
The game immediately took a dramatic turn as Richards Bay increased the pressure on the City defence. The home side pushed further by introducing fresher legs into their attack. A 64th-minute substitution saw Mhango replaced by Lundi Mahala.
Durban City responded to the tactical adjustments by introducing Samkelo Maseko for Brooklyn Poggenpoel. Knox Muthizwa wasted a golden chance in the box. The former Golden Arrows FC striker headed his effort over the bar.
The Zimbabwean striker eventually netted an equaliser in the 84th minute. A sliding shot after a cut-back helped Mutizwa beat Darren Keet, arriving first at the ball. The referee blew his whistle after 90 minutes, sending the game into extra time at 1-1.
A 100th-minute stunner from Nombengula Mbulelo saw the hosts take the lead at extra time. Although sending waves of attack in the second half of extra time, the Durban side failed to come back into the game.
The hosts eventually extended their lead in stoppage time, with Mahala finishing a well-executed counterattack. The Richards Bay forward secured the victory for his team, completing the final action of the game.
Richards Bay is now awaiting the results of the remaining three quarter-final fixtures to find out their opponents in the Carling Cup semi-finals.
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