Durban City have booked their spot in the Nedbank Cup final after beating giant killers Casric Stars 1-0 on Saturday.
The game got off to a bit of slow start due to the intense heat on the day, but Durban City made an early breakthrough courtesy of an own goal by Siphamandla Mlilo from Terrence Mashego’s delivery.
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Casric, who had eliminated Orlando Pirates and AmaZulu in previous rounds, were pretty much the dominant side after the opener but failed to turn their dominance into real scoring opportunities.
They nearly extended their lead in the 12th minute when Saziso Magawana’s close-range attempt was well saved by Wandile Mthombeni.
The Mpulanga outfit, Casric battled to find rhythm, with City enjoying the majority of possession.
As time went on, the hosts, at times, took their foot off the pedal, allowing the visitors to settle and look for attacking opportunities.
In the 28th minute, Decide Chauke came agonisingly close to equalising, heading just inches wide. The first half ended with Durban City leading 1-0.
The action seemed a little bit balanced in the early stages of the second half, while Casric had a few threatening moments as they sought an equaliser.
Siphamandla Ncanana came up with a huge defensive block in the 58th minute, denying Chauke after the Casric forward broke into the area with a clear sight of goal.
In the 65th minute, Chauke squandered another big chance in the box, firing wide after capitalising on City’s failure to clear the ball.
City, for a moment, were struggling to push up the pitch with Bucs Mthombeni’s troops continuing to apply the pressure in search of a breakthrough.
The visitors dominated ball possession, constantly pushing forward, looking to hit the net. In the 78th minute, Chauke almost beat Keet with his attempt narrowly going wide.
Casric threw everything in the dying minutes but couldn’t get the ball into the back of the net, with their journey ending in the semi-final.
But the first half’s own goal by Siphamandla Mlilo granted the Durban-based outfit a hard-fought triumph, reaching the final in their first season in the top-flight, having earned promotion from the second tier in May last year.
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