Ajax eye Cup glory

31 August 2015 - 09:58 By TSHEPANG MAILWANE

Devastated back in May when Mamelodi Sundowns beat them in the Nedbank Cup final, Ajax Cape Town's youngsters will have another shot at glory after booking their place in the MTN8 final yesterday. Roger de Sa's boys, who just seem to get better and better under his guidance, edged 10-man Bidvest Wits1-0 at Bidvest Wits Stadiumfor a date in the final with Kaizer Chiefs.Made up of mostly young players, it was a veteran in Nathan Paulse who sealed the victory for the visitors with a goal in the first half. The Urban Warriors won 2-1 on aggregate.Wits, who have not won a knockout cup since 2010 when De Sa was in charge, made a bright start and should have taken the lead 15 minutes into the game, but Elias Pelembe's shot from a Daine Klate cross was tame.It was downhill from there for Wits, who lost a man and conceded the opening goal after 25 minutes.Right back Siyabonga Nhlapo was shown a straight red card for a challenge on Toriq Losper. Referee Kulasande Qongqo pointed to the spot and Paulse calmly slotted the ball home to give the Urban Warriors an advantage before the break.The visitors should have extended that lead seven minutes into the second period when Paulse found himself in some space after Moeneeb Josephs' poor clearance. The veteran striker, however, shot wide of goal with his weaker left foot.The Clever Boys had a glorious opportunity to score just after the hour-mark. Left back Onismor Bhasera had time and space to pick a spot but his long-range effort did not trouble Anssi Jaakkola in the Ajax net.Paulse somehow could not put the ball into an empty net with 12 minutes left on the clock. His teammate Cecil Lolo had a spot kick saved by Josephs three minutes from time after Losper was brought down in the box.De Sa will be hoping for some luck in a cup final. He has been to seven finals but only has one winners' medal.He certainly has a group of players who have what it takes to upset Amakhosi, who beat Bloemfontein Celtic 2-1 on aggregate to keep their chances of defending the trophy alive.Amakhosi will have to keep a close eye on Ajax's Bantu Mzwakali and Ndiviwe Mdabuka, who were both excellent in midfield yesterday. The final will be played on September 19...

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