Dopeni Mighty Comrades came back from a 0-1 deficit and beat Maranzhe Barcelona 6-5 to secure a place in the quarter-final stage of the Petrus Madzuhe Soccer Tournament at Maranzhe on Sunday.
Although they are campaigning in the lower league, Barcelona showed no respect to Comrades. Their captain, Nditsheni Mbulaheni, was a thorn in the flesh to the Comrades' defenders. He made his presence felt in the 14th minute. He forced his way through the defence of Comrades and beat the keeper with a half volley.
Barcelona continued to knock on the Comrades' door, giving the opposition defence no time to breathe. The visitors from the Nzhelele Valley gained momentum with time. They were unfortunate in the 29th minute. A defender of Barcelona handled the ball within his own penalty area and the referee awarded a penalty to Comrades. Azwihangwisi Mulibana shot wide from the penalty spot.
Ndifelani Nevhulaudzi of Barcelona was reprimanded with a card for dangerous play on Unarine Mukhwakhwe three minutes into the last half. Barcelona used all their substitution chances as one of their many ways to neutralize the opponents.
Comrades found the equalizer in the 77th minute. Azwihangwisi Mulibana gave the ball a final touch after a scramble within the box. The winner was determined through a penalty shoot-out as the score was still 1-1 when the referee blew the final whistle.