Johannesburg - Polokwane City will take a while to recover from this defeat that should never have been.
Such was this match that it should be their name and not that of the Chilli Boys that gies into the bowl foe the Nedbank Cup round of 16 draw.
But they fluffed a sitter that even heir chairman would probably have converted in a suit. They made things worse with some pathetic penalty kicking when their goalkeeper had put them back into the contest via a good save.
The home side got off to a flying start courtesy of a strike by Francis Baloyi after Chippa cheaply gave the ball away just inside their own half.
ALSO READ: Sibusiso Vilakazi find himself in the middle of Pitso Mosimane, Sead Ramovic’s war of words
Baloyi latched on to the loose ball and made a run somewhat unchallenged to slot home.
Inspired by the early goal, City dictated terms and should have gone 2-0 via a free kick from just outside the box but they sent it way over.
Chippa are through to the next round of the #NedbankCup with a 4-2 win over Polokwane via a penalty shootout 🎯 pic.twitter.com/52hWOPDCzl
They were made to pay dearly for that miss when Chippa restored parity on 12 minutes. Like City's opener, this too was a gift from the opposition as the hosts goalkeeper Manuel Sapunga inconceivably allowed Thabiso Lebitso to slot home underneath him from an awkward angle.
ALSO READ: Mandla Ncikazi to take charge of Orlando Pirates in Soweto derby during Jose Riveiro’s suspension
The Chippa winger had run unchallenged on the right side of the field but his attack had appeared innocuous until he got into the box.
How City did not go back ahead on the half-hour mark is sure to remain a mystery that the Motsepe Foundation Championship outfit will be asking themselves for ages to come.
#NedBankCup
— Chippa United FC (@ChippaUnitedFC) February 14, 2023
We through into the last 16 via penalty shootout.
Polokwane City (2' Francis Baloyi) (1) 1️⃣ - 1️⃣ (3) Chippa United (12' Thabiso Lebitso)
Man Of The Match: Stanley Nwabali.#PrideOfEasternCape#AyeyeChilliBoysAyeye🌶️🌶️🌶️ pic.twitter.com/9wtJ44C3Bp
A fantastic attack on the right ended up with an equally splendid cross that found its way into the small box.
The chanting City fans were already celebrating a goal but Mokibelo Ramabu inconceivably managed to send the ball over the open bars when finding the net looked much easier.
The match see-sawed from end to end with neither side finding the net as the two goalkeepers pulled off brilliant saves in the second half of extra time.
Their talismanic and long serving star Puleng Tlolane missed their first penalty to set them on to a shoot out they would rather forget quickly and focus on their bat