Cape Town City needed penalties to get past Mamelodi Sundowns after a 1-0 Downs victory leveled the two-leg aggregate score at 1-1 in their MTN8 semi-final.

City had the one-goal advantage heading into the second leg encounter after a hard-fought 1-0 victory in Cape Town last weekend and were looking to book their place in the final after falling short in last year’s conclusion.

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Sundowns, on the other hand, would have been desperate to book a spot in the final after their disappointing mid-week Caf Champions League exit.

Pitso Mosimane’s chargers started the game well and had loads of possession, but they struggled to combine in the final third as chances were hard to come by.

With 26 minutes played, Downs took the lead. Peter Leeuwenburgh could have done better as he palmed a Themba Zwane shot into the path of Jose Meza, who in turn squared the ball back across the goal, finding Toni Silva who had a simple tap in. The goal leveled the aggregate score at 1-1.

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Benni McCarthy’s men looked to respond and came close to equalising on the 32nd-minute, but Denis Onyango made the save.

Sundowns lead 1-0 in the break as the game firmly laid in the balance, with penalties a real possibility.

City came out fighting in the second half as they dominated possession while putting serious pressure on the home side.

Sundowns, however, were holding onto their lead with some desperate defending but still managed to provide a serious threat on the counter.

Neither side could find the back of the net, as the two-legged semi-final needed penalties to decide who would face defending champions SuperSport United in the final.

Leeuwenburgh then proved to be the hero as the Dutch goalkeeper saved two of Sundowns’ penalties to ensure a repeat of last years final.

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