Chiefs v Downs - history favours Chiefs
The Telkom Knockout final between Amakhosi and the Brazilian is the seventh head-to-head in a final in the PSL era.
|||Johannesburg - The Telkom Knockout final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, in Durban, next Wednesday is the seventh head-to-head in a final between Amakhosi and the Brazilians during the Premier Soccer League era.
Amazingly, five of those previous six meeting have all gone to penalties. And almost even more incredibly, the Soweto giants have won all six final showdowns.
Records going back to 1985 show that Chiefs have not lost a single cup final against the Brazilians in seven attempts. Their last meeting came in the inaugural MTN8 final back in 2008, a match that ended 0-0 after 120 minutes failed to separate the two teams at ABSA Stadium in Durban.
The Trott Moloto-coached Brazilians, should have won, though. Collins Mbesuma, Josta Dladla and Derrick Spencer, all players who turned out for Amakhosi at some stage or the other during their careers, squandered chances for Sundowns, along with Lerato Chabangu and Surprise Moriri.
At the other end, Thuso Phala, Gert Schalkwyk and Mokete Tsotsetsi came closest.
In the end, it was goalless and it came down to a dramatic penalty shootout which saw a young Itumeleng Khune against an aging Chiefs legend in Brian Baloyi.
It was the former that prevailed as Muhsin Ertugral's men won 4-3 on penalties.
The 2008 final meeting was one of two in the Top Eight competition.
The two teams also faced off in the 2001 final, which was remarkably won 7-6 on penalties by Chiefs after the game ended 2-2 following extra time.
Only once has this colossal fixture been settled in normal time.
This was the millennium FA Cup final, then known as the Bob Save Super Bowl and now called the Nedbank Cup.
The match was played at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg and the winning goal was from the penalty spot as Siyabonga Nomvete's 44th minute effort gave the title to Chiefs.
Looking at Telkom Knockout history, Amakhosi have met the Brazilians in three previous League Cup finals. The most recent of those meetings also involved a Khune v Baloyi battle back in 2007.
Once more it was the young Chiefs custodian that emerged with an enhanced reputation as he save three penalties to give Amakhosi the title with a 3-2 shoot-out win.
The match had ended goalless, before Khune blunted Esrom Nyandoro, Peter Ndlovu and Patrick Apataki from the penalty spot. There sides also met in successive finals during the 1990s. In 1997, the scoreline ended 1-1, before Amakhosi went on to take the title 3-2 on penalties, while the shootout score 12 months later was 2-1 following a 2-2 AET scoreline.
African News Agency