Cape Town City guarantee top three finish with win over Arrows

Musa Bilankulu scored an own goal in the final minute to give Cape Town City a 1 -0 victory over Lamontville Golden Arrows in the Absa Premiership on Wednesday and keep alive their hopes of playing African Champions League football next season.

Bilankulu headed the ball into his own net from a cross by Aubrey Ngoma as City stole a victory after Lebogang Manyama had missed a late penalty and the home side were denied by some breathtaking saves from Golden Arrows goalkeeper Nkosi Gumede.

City are now ensured of third position and African Confederation Cup football next season, while Golden Arrows stay ninth, level with eighth-placed Ajax Cape Town with one round of matches to come.  

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City are just a point behind Sundowns in second and could yet play in the elite CAF competition next year.

Golden Arrows controlled much of the first half, but the best chances fell to City with Gumede at one point pulling off an incredible triple save.

Siphelele Magubane scored a screamer against Baroka last time out for Abafana Bes’thende, but this time he shot just wide from distance in the first real effort on goal after nine minutes.

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The midfielder had another chance when he was picked out by Wayde Jooste in the box, but he delayed his shot too long and when he finally did get it away, curled it wide again.

Golden Arrows were looking to catch City on the counter-attack and it was a plan that nearly worked as Knox Mutizwa shot wide at the near post and Jooste got in between two defenders, only to hook his shot off-target with home keeper Shu-Aib Walters in no-mans land.

Manyama should have had City ahead in the first half but  could not steer his free header on target as he found acres of space in the six-yard box.

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And then came the heroics from Gumede, who kept the score goalless at halftime with an amazing sequence of saves.

He first stopped a shot from Bongi Jayiya, and then Manyama on the follow-up, and finally Roland Putsche from point-blank range as the Austrian rushed in to try and steer the loose ball home.

Robyn Johannes got his head to a corner early in the second half, but again Gumede was on hand to beat the effort away.

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And Lehlohonolo Majoro shot over from the edge of the box when he really should have hit the target as City began to take a grip on the game.

In a rare break in the second half, Kuda Mahachi found himself in space in the box, but showed unusually poor technique to scoop the ball wide.

Lerato Lamola entered the game off the bench for Golden Arrows and almost immediately showed his tremendous pace to outstrip the City defence, but places his shot on the run wide of Walters’ goal, much to the relief of the keeper.

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Gumede made another remarkable one-handed save to deny City substitute Thabo Nodada shortly afterwards as the chances at both ends kept on coming.

Majoro was the latest to miss when he forced a shot wide with just Gumede to beat, before the Golden Arrows keeper again denied Judas Moseamedi from close-range.

  - TMG Digital/TMG Sport