'Stressful' cup win for Kaizer Chiefs
Under-fire Kaizer Chiefs coach Steve Komphela suffered stress before his club booked a Nedbank Cup quarter-finals place with a 2-1 win over second-tier Stellenbosch on Saturday.
Chiefs seemed to be heading toward a comfortable last-16 win when Colombian Leonardo Castro gave them a two-goal lead after 65 minutes in Indian Ocean port city Durban.
But Alan Robertson pulled a goal back 13 minutes from time for mid-table second division club Stellenbosch to set up a tense finish at Moses Mabhida Stadium.
Beanpole centre-back Eric Mathoho had put Chiefs ahead on 28 minutes following a corner with a header that flew past former Zimbabwe goalkeeper Washington Arubi.
"The closing stages were stressful for me," admitted Komphela, a former South Africa captain and centre-back, who played for Chiefs and in Turkey.
"We made it difficult for ourselves because we did not take enough chances during a good first-half performance -- we could have been three goals ahead by half-time.
"A killer instinct was missing from our display tonight. We need to play with more vigour and less fear."
Komphela has failed to win a trophy during almost three years at Chiefs and many supporters want him fired when the season ends in May.
Media speculation has linked Belgian Luc Eymael, who transformed Free State Stars this season from perennial strugglers to title challengers, with Chiefs.
Free State also advanced to the last-eight stage, but left it late to snatch a 2-1 home victory over Chippa United in an all-Premiership affair.
Guinean Bangali Keita scored the winner with only two minutes remaining at Goble Park in central town Bethlehem.
Paulus Masehe nodded Stars into an early second-half lead that was cancelled when Onassis Mntambo scored just before the hour.
Top-flight outfit Baroka were the most convincing winners of the day, scoring in each half to defeat third-tier Steenberg United 2-0 in northern city Polokwane.
Mudzungu Sidumo netted on 42 minutes and later rattled the woodwork before Tebogo Sodi put the outcome beyond doubt with a goal six minutes from time.
On Friday, second-tier strugglers Ubuntu Cape Town raced into a three-goal lead away to Premiership side AmaZulu before hanging on for a shock 3-2 victory in Durban.
"My boys were true warriors," said emotional Ubuntu coach Richard Casey Prince. "I did not realise they had such big hearts until tonight. The game plan was executed perfectly."