Maebane Aces United booked a place in the next stage of the Makhado Municipality Mayoral Cup when they beat Tshikhodobo MML 1-0 at Muduluni on Saturday.
The boys from Tshikhodobo approached the match like a house of fire, with their midfielders excelling at distributing dangerous balls to the strikers. They threatened to score five minutes into the match when Isaac Muvhali forced his way through the defence of Aces before passing the ball to Fhulufhelo Netshinombelwa. His attempt missed the target by inches.
In the 34th minute, Musa Makhubele unleashed a powerful shot from outside the box and the keeper of MML, Mahlatsi Marakalala, watched in disbelief when the ball crossed the goalline.
The second half saw Aces pressing hard in search of more goals. Realizing that their chances were slim, MML abandoned their positions and packed themselves at the far back.
MML came close to scoring in the 77th minute when Kenny Sioga broke loose and shot wide with only the keeper to beat. Kabelo Ramashidzha of Aces should have increased their margin, but his shot was saved by the keeper late in the game.