Cape Town City Hero Leeuwenburgh Basks In MTN 8 Final Glow
3rd September 2018
Dutch keeper saved two spot-kicks in 4-2 penalty shootout win over Mamelodi Sundowns
SUMMARY
- Sundowns won the second leg of the semi-final 1-0 through a goal from Guinea-Bissau striker Toni Silva
- City had won the first leg by the same scoreline at home last weekend, leaving the clubs deadlocked at 1-1 on aggregate after 180 minutes
- Leeuwenburgh, who joined City on a three-year deal in June from the Ajax Amsterdam reserve side, saved penalties from Silva and Liberian Anthony Laffor to be named man of the match
- City will face SuperSport United, the club who beat them on penalties in the 2017/2018 final of the eight million rand ($545,000/470,000 euros) winners-take-all competition
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa- Dutch goalkeeper Peter Leeuwenburgh saved two shootout penalties Sunday to take Cape Town City into the South African MTN8 final and complete a miserable week for Mamelodi Sundowns.
Cape Town triumphed 4-2 on penalties near Pretoria after Sundowns won the second leg of the semi-final 1-0 through a goal from Guinea-Bissau striker Toni Silva.
City had won the first leg by the same scoreline at home last weekend, leaving the clubs deadlocked at 1-1 on aggregate after 180 minutes.
Elimination for Sundowns came five days after they suffered a similar fate at the group stage of the CAF Champions League, a competition they won two seasons ago.
Leeuwenburgh, who joined City on a three-year deal in June from the Ajax Amsterdam reserve side, saved penalties from Silva and Liberian Anthony Laffor to be named man of the match.
"The goalkeepers' coach and I did our homework on how Sundowns' players take penalties," said the 24-year-old who represented the Netherlands at three age-limit levels.
Young club
"With so little to choose between the teams, a penalty shootout was always a possibility and I needed to know as much as possible about Sundowns' regular penalty takers.
"Cape Town is a young club and we have reached the MTN8 final for the second successive season so let us go for it and lift the trophy this time."
City will face SuperSport United, the club who beat them on penalties in the 2017/2018 final of the eight million rand ($545,000/470,000 euros) winners-take-all competition.
Bradley Grobler of SuperSport scored the goal that beat Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 in the second leg of the other semi-final in Soweto on Saturday and took his club through 3-2 on aggregate.
He bagged a first-leg brace last Sunday, leading to his recall by South Africa for a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya in Durban on September 8.