Richards Bay FC advanced to the Nedbank Cup last 16 with a penalty shoot-out victory against Siwelele FC after the match finished 3-3 in extra-time on Sunday night.
Natal Rich boys brought Siyabonga Nzama, Thembela Sikhakhane and Sanele Barns back into the side, while Vincent Pule, Grant Margeman, Kgaogelo Sekgota, Yanda Mfolozi and Ricardo Goss maintained their spots for Siwelele from their last match.
Forward Chibuike Ohizu got a decent chance after five minutes with a first-time shot from close-range following a looping cross by Vincent Pule, but he fluffed his lines.
The Siwelele made amends inside 20 minutes as Grant Margeman made space for himself outside the area and powered a low speculative shot into the bottom-corner.
Sekgota was not able to carry on having suffered a knock and had Ghampani Lungu come on in his place ten minutes before the break.
The Natal Rich Boys’ first attempt arrived on the stroke of halftime when a first-time attempt at the back-post by Thabani Zuke from a curling ball clattered off the woodwork.
Margeman, who had bagged the opener, looked to register a second goal with a similar strike from the edge of the area but he saw goalkeeper Ian Otieno equal to the task on this occasion.
After missing a number of chances, it came back to haunt the host as Richards Bay levelled when a long-range shot by S’bangani Zulu deflected past Goss and into the net.
Substitute Thulani Gumede missed a golden chance to put the visitors in front through a shot on the turn inside the six-yard box, but he went wide of the top corner, sending the clash to extra 30 minutes.
The Natal Rich Boys got in front a minute into extra-time when Mahala side-footed in from a close-range following a cross-cum shot.
Mahala helped himself to a brace eight minutes later after he charged forward to the box unmarked and picked up a layoff from Barns to slot into an empty net.
However, Siwelele pulled a goal back within a minute when Zuke bundled into his own net right on the goal-line after attempting to clear his lines following a corner-kick, before Lehlohonolo Seema’s men got the equaliser earlier in the second period of extra-time when substitute Siphelele Luthuli collected a cutback in the box and fired in the bottom-corner.
With the scores level in regulation time, the match went to penalties and the Natal Rich Boys emerged victorious in a dramatic shoot-out with goalkeeper Otieno netting the winning spot-kick in sudden death.