Aces might have lost, but not defeated
Mpumalanga Black Aces suffered a 4-0 defeat in their MTN8 quarter-final match against Kaizer Chiefs at Soccer City on Sunday afternoon.
Kaizer Chiefs’ Reneilwe Letsholonyane opened the scoring sheet in less than a minute of play.
As if that wasn’t enough, Kingston Nkhatha made it two after firing an unstoppable volley that left Aces keeper, Bafana Nhlapo, beaten hands down.
These two early goals seemed to have dismantled Aces as they struggled to complete a single decent pass in the entire first 45 minutes.
The second stanza was just a continuation of the first half with them chasing the game and failing to threaten Chiefs in any way.
In the 60th minute, Mandla Masango broke through and cleverly rounded keeper, Bafana Nhlapo before scoring into an open net to give Chiefs a 3-0 lead.
Masango finished his brace after beating Nhlapo from a tight angle to change the scoreline to 4-0.
Aces were without their new signing, Edwin Gyimah and Collins Mbesuma, due to work permits and Thabo Qalinge who has since joined Orlando Pirates.
The Amakhosi join Bidvest Wits, Platinum Stars and Orlando Pirates in the semi-finals.
“We have put this game behind us and we are now focusing on a league clash against Bloemfontein Celtic as we need to win this match just to boost the team’s morale.
“This loss has made us even stronger. We have learnt so much from this clash against Chiefs and I am certain that our coach, Clive Barker, has noted the areas of concern and will get to the bottom of these challenges,” said Aces spokesman, Gordon Masondo.
Aces will play Chiefs at Mbombela Stadium during the premiership league clash scheduled for August 13 at 19:30.
