OWAYENGUKAPUTENI weMamelodi Sundowns, uHlompho Kekana, weluleke abadlali baleli qembu ukuthi bakulindele ukuthi kuzomele bazikhandle ukuze baphume namaphuzu amathathu emdlalweni wakusihlwa weBetway Premiership neMarumo Gallants.
La maqembu azotholana phezulu eDr Petrus Molemela Stadium, eBloemfontein, ngo-7.30 kusihlwa.
AmaSandawana asaqhwakele kwi-log ngamaphuzu angu-42 emidlalweni engu-16. Aguqiswe yiTS galaxy emdlalweni wakamuva weligi kodwa ngeSonto akwazile ukunqoba iMpheni Home Defenders ngo 2-0 kwi-Last 16 yeNedbank Cup.
IGallants isengozini yokugawulwa yizembe njengoba isendaweni ka-14 ngamaphuzu angu-15 emidlalweni engu-16.
Kowakamuva weligi, inqotshwe AmaZulu FC ngo 2-0 kodwa yawajikela kwiNedbank Cup ngoMgqibelo, iwakhipha ngo 1-0.
Nakuba igebe lilikhulu phakathi kwamaBrazilian neGallants kwi-log, uKekana uthe kuhlale kunzima ukubhekana namaqembu aqeqeshwa nguDan Malesela.
“Baneqembu elihle elibunjwe ngabadlali asebehlale isikhathi eside. Yingakho uma ngibheka iMarumo Gallants ngibona iqembu elingadala izinkinga,” kusho uKekana, ekhasini leSundowns kwiYouTube.
“Akulula neze ukudlala eBloemfontein. Sonke siyazi ukuthi kulindelekeni khona ngoba bazobe bedlala neqembu elithanda ukugcina ibhola, okuyinto umqeqeshi walo akholelwa kuyona. Uma udlalela iSundowns usuke ujwayele ukuthi yinina enigcina ibhola koda kumele bayihloniphe iGallants, bakulungele ukuthi kungenzeka balijahe ibhola.”
Ngesikhathi amaqembu egcina ukuhlangana koweligi ngoSepthemba, iSundowns iqumbe phansi iGallants ngo 4-1 eLoftus Versfeld, ePitoli.
Amagoli eSundowns ashaywe nguTashreeq Matthews, Iqraam Rayners, Lucas Ribeiro noSphelele Mkhulise, kwathi uGabadinho Mhango wabeka phakathi elaBahlabane ba Ntwa.
UKekana ubona uMhango ezoqhubeka nokuba yingozi, ehambisana nabanye abagijima ezindaweni ezahlukene enkundleni.
“Banomdlali okhaliphile njengoMhango okwaziyo ukushaya igoli kungalindele muntu. Bakhona nabanye abanjengoSiyabulela Shai, Thapelo Dhludhlu, noKamohelo Mahlatsi, abakwaziyo ukujika,” uqhube kanje.
“Esiswini banomdlali onamava u-Edgar Manaka, ongukaputeni wabo futhi ongumdlali abathembele kuyena. Uyakwazi ukudlala uma eliphethe ibhola noma engaliphethe. Uphasa kahle futhi unamandla uma emaka.”
ISundowns isiyinqobe amahlandla ayisithupha kulandelana iGallants emiqhudelwaneni ehlukene. Bagcina ukucazelana amaphuzu ngesikhathi bebambana ngo 1-1 ngoDisemba ka-2021.