On the occasions yesterday when they got their passing game to a tee, Mamelodi Sundowns were pleasing on the eye.
Their coach Pitso Mosimane preaches total attacking football and he must have been proud of the way his players defended, executed the short-passing game and kept the pressure on Golden Arrows.
Sundowns did not get it right all the time but when they did it was too much for this modest Arrows side. The victory took Sundowns to the semifinals of the MTN8, a prize that still eludes Mosimane at Chloorkop.
Last season Sundowns were eliminated at this stage by Maritzburg United but this season they are showing signs of going all the way.
Sundowns' fluidity exposed some of the tactical limitations of Arrows, who played a dangerous game of sitting back and trying to catch their opponents with counterattacks.The first goal was an example of their success when they got their quick attacking movements spot on. This one involved Jeremy Brockie, Thapelo Morena and Themba Zwane with Sibusiso Vilakazi finishing with a close-range shot that beat Arrows goalkeeper Nkosingiphile Gumede.
Earlier they had been unsuccessful with a similar move that was orchestrated by Gaston Sirino and Morena, but this time Vilakazi's shot ballooned over the crossbar.
For their second goal, they went for a different dimension. Sirino went to the right flank from where he delivered a telling cross into the box. It was met with the head of defender Wayne Arendse, who made no mistake.
Before the break, Arrows did have their chances with Knox Mutizwa and Lerato Lamola at the forefront, but it was not enough to beat Sundowns goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene.
Mweene had replaced Denis Onyango, who is recovering from the concussion he suffered in a league match against Polokwane City earlier in the week.
As a sign of depth in his squad, Mosimane made three changes to his starting line-up for the club's third match in eight days. Arendse replaced injured Ricardo Nascimento and Vilakazi came in for Oupa Manyisa while captain Hlompho Kekana took over from Tiyani Mabunda in the midfield.
FOCUS ON CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
With their place in the semifinals secure, Sundowns can now focus on the Caf Champions League. They leave for Morocco today and face Wydad Athletic Club on Friday in Casablanca. It is a must-win game for Sundowns in the group stage.They return to league action with a home tie against Highlands Park on August 22 when Mosimane will be looking to his second win of the season after they drew with Kaizer Chiefs and beat Polokwane City.
Arrows will need to work on their deficiencies before the league resumes for them. They meet Cape Town City away on Saturday and will hope that they have made some improvements by then.
Having gone to halftime trailing by one goal, Arrows came back with more intent in the second half as they went in search of the equaliser but they just could not break through the solid Sundowns defence.
Sundowns(1) 2
Golden Arrows 0
GOALS: Sibusiso Vilakazi (40m); Wayne Arendse (70m)..