Mamelodi Sundowns booked their place in the MTN8 final after overcoming Lamontville Golden Arrows in a dramatic 3-2 victory in the second leg of their semi-final at King Zwelithini Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Brazilians progressed to the final after the two-legged tie ended level at 3-3 on aggregate, setting up a final showdown against Orlando Pirates.
Golden Arrows came into the encounter holding a slender 1-0 aggregate advantage following the first leg, but Sundowns showed their intentions from the opening stages in what proved to be an intense encounter.
The visitors opened the scoring in the 31st minute through Mailula, bringing the aggregate score level at 1-1.
The second half continued with plenty of drama as Sundowns thought they had found another goal in the 49th minute through Ndamane. However, the goal was ruled out after it was deemed that the player had handled the ball.
Ndamane’s frustrations got the better of him as he was subsequently booked for dissent after expressing his displeasure towards the referee. His afternoon was later cut short after he sustained an injury and was substituted.
Further controversy followed in the 50th minute when Grant Kekana was initially shown a red card, before the decision was corrected and reduced to a yellow card.
Golden Arrows continued to fight their way back into the match and found their equaliser in the 69th minute through Junior Dion, bringing the home supporters back into the contest.
Sundowns then introduced Antonio Van Wyk in the 74th minute, replacing Matthews.
The visitors regained their lead in the 77th minute when Marcelo Allende found the back of the net to score Sundowns’ second goal of the afternoon.
Van Wyk then made an immediate impact from the bench, scoring Sundowns’ third goal in the 85th minute to give his side further breathing room.
With the match heading towards its conclusion, Philani Khumalo gave Golden Arrows renewed hope when he scored their second goal in the 90+1 minute.
However, it was not enough to change the outcome of the tie as Sundowns held on to secure a 3-2 victory on the day.
The result saw the semi-final finish 3-3 on aggregate, with Mamelodi Sundowns ultimately progressing to the MTN8 final, where they will face Orlando Pirates.
For Golden Arrows, it was a heartbreaking end to an impressive MTN8 campaign, while Sundowns will now turn their attention to the highly anticipated final.