KUPHOQE ukuthi kungenelele umphakathi waseMgungundlovu, abaxhasi nosihlalo weqembu ukuze iMaritzburg United ithole amaphuzu aphelele komkhaya bayo, iRoyal AM.
Kulo mdlalo weDStv Premiership obuseHarry Gwala Stadium, iTeam of Choice inqobe ngo-1-0 wegoli likaFriday Samu alinamathisele enethini esiwombeni sokuqala.
Bekumqoka ukuthi iqembu lasekhaya lithole amaphuzu agcwele lapha ukuze liziqhelise namaqembu abalekela ukugawulwa yizembe.
Njengokujwayelekile abalandeli baleli qembu likaFarook Kadodia, balime indima enkulu ekunqobeni kwalo njengoba bebephume ngobuningi. Ukucula kwabo nokuhaya amahubo ngokungaphezi kwenze isimo saba nzima kwiThwihli Thwahla nayo ebingazibekile phansi.
Nakuba ezika-Ernst Middendorp zingakasindi ezembeni kodwa ngalokhu kunqoba zinyukele kunombolo-12 ngamaphuzu awu-27 njengoba sekusele imidlalo emithathu kusongwe iligi.
Zibambene ngamaphuzu neChippa United ekweka-13.
Ngemuva komdlalo uMiddendorp obefa injabulo, ubonge ukwesekwa ngabalandeli baseMphithi kanjalo nezinkulumo ezakhayo ebeziqhamuka nakoyisikhulu seGift of the Givers, u-Imtiaz Sooliman.
“Sisizwe inkulumo mpikiswano nokubonisana okuningi mayelana nemidlalo esisalele. Nomphakathi walapha (eMgungundlovu) ulime indima enkulu ekunqobeni kwethu. Usixhasa ngakho konke. Kuze kwangenela noDkt Imtiaz Sooliman weGift of the Givers. Usitshele amagama asikhuthaze ngendlela eyisimanga. Nosihlalo weqembu ubambe inqwaba yemihlangano nabadlali ukwenza isiqiniseko sokuthi kasilibalekeli ngemizuzu yokugcina izembe,” kusho uMiddendorp.
Lo mqeqeshi odabuka eGermany ugcizelele ukuthi bekumqoka ukunqoba ikakhulukazi njengoba ekhombisa ukuvuka namanye amaqembu asengozini yezembe.
"Kulezi zinsuku ezedlule sizibonile izimanga zenziwa amaqembu esinawo emsileni. ITS Galaxy imangaze abaningi ishaya i-Orlando Pirates. Siyibonile neBaroka inqoba ngephenathi (kwiLamontville Golden Arrows). Nakuba kunjalo, kasifunanga ukuthi silawulwe imiphumela yeminye imidlalo ebikwezinye izinkundla.
"Bekumele noma kanjani la maphuzu amathathu siwathole kwazise imidlalo emibili elandelayo sizoyidlalela ekuhambeni. Kule midlalo emibili elandelayo sikulindele ukuthwala kanzima. Sizophinde siqhubeke nokwesekana esikutshengise emdlalweni weRoyal AM. Sizoqhubeka nokuqoqa amaphuzu ukuze sisonge iligi sisendaweni ehloniphekile," kubeka uMiddendorp.
Ukunqoba kweTeam of Choice kuphazamise iRoyal AM ukuvula igebe lamaphuzu endaweni yesibili kwi-log. IThwihli Thwahla isiyalingana ngamaphuzu awu-45 neCape Town City.
Uma ingaqhubeka nalokhu kuhluleka ukuqoqa amaphuzu kungagcina kushabalele iphupho layo lokuyodlala kwiCaf Champions League.
Kusasa, iMaritzburg izovakashela iStellenbosch, eDanie Craven Stadium. Uma iqeda ngalo mdlalo izovakashela iPirates, e-Orlando Stadium bese ivala ngeBaroka, ekhaya, ngoMeyi 21.