Soccer
Celtic retains the Macufe Cup─── 09:12 Mon, 13 Oct 2014
Bloemfontein Celtic won the Macufe Cup for a third successive year after a 5-3 penalty shoot-out win over the Kaizer Chiefs after regulation time ended 1-1 in Bloemfontein.
The Soweto giants started the better of the two teams and had the first shot on goal in the sixth minute courtesy of a long range strike from Siyabonga Nkosi, but his effort sailed wide of the target.
With the score deadlocked at 0-0 at the half-time break, Phunya Sele Sele made a number of changes to their line-up, however, Lerato Lamola seemed determined to make the difference in the match and broke behind the defence in the 50th minute, but was unable to beat Chiefs goalkeeper, Brilliant Khuzwayo, in a one-on-one.
In the 73rd minute of the festive match at the Free State Stadium, Lamola made the breakthrough and opened the scoring with a diving header to send Celtic into the lead.
A minute later, Josta Dladla, who is said to be linked with a move to Celtic levelled the scores for the Amakhosi with a penalty after Alfred Ndengane was deemed to have handled the ball in the penalty area.
Neither side were able to find the back of the net for the remainder of the match and the showdown was set for a shoot-out.
Celtic now lead the head-to-head count in the Cup 5-4.
The Bloemfontein side, who have been struggling to finds wnis thus far in the season, will take a lot of confidence out of the match going into their PSL clash agaist Polokwane City at the Kaizer Sebothelo Stadium in Botshabelo on Sunday.
The rampant Glamour Boys in their turn will be travelling to the Mother City, where their will face the in form Ajax Cape Town.
Morgan Piek / OFM News
