Bidvest Wits side-stepped their way around SuperSport United Tuesday night to push through to the MTN8 semi-finals.
United kicked-off the game with a string of fouls, while Wits’ Sibusiso Vilakazi put the team in white on the board in the first three minutes.
The rest of the first-half saw the visitors display a poor offensive and taking many shots at goal with no success. Moeneeb Josephs hardly had to jump to defend his post as Diouf and Mathebula kept missing the goal to the sides.
BV Wits also struggled to convert opportunities after Vilakazi’s perfect start. Klate, making his debut for Wits, had several attempts at goal that just flew over the post and shot down possible points with an off-side.
Soon after the start of the second half SuperSport United’s husky forward, Jeremy Brockie, hooked the ball into the net to level the score 1-1 in the 56th minute. The game continued with players of both teams getting desperate as the 90th minute closed in. Mkhwanazi and Nkhatha were both sent off for fouling, forcing the teams to go into extra time with 10 players.
The extra time proved an advantage for Bidvest Wits as their competition’s fitness was maxed out, which had them lower their defences.
Klate then slipped one past the goalie in the 99th minute to put the home team back in the lead. Not two minutes later Henrico Botes came with a whopper assist and booked Wits’ place in the semi-finals with a final score of 3-1.
When Botes took a seat in the 112th minute Wits coach, Gavin Hunt shouted to the stands: “He’s the best 15 grand I ever spent!”
Hunt was extremely happy with the performance of the new players and noted that “they just have to get fit.”
Bidvest Wits will meet up with Ajax Cape Town in the semi-finals, who beat Orlando Pirates 1-0 in their quarter-finals match.
Pitched & Unpublished: 4 August 2015.
Journo Junky 