Mamelodi Sundowns booked their place in the Carling Knockout Cup semi-finals with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Golden Arrows at Loftus Versfeld, thanks to a second-half strike from Iqraam Rayners.

The Brazilians, still rebuilding after their early exit from the CAF Champions League, controlled large periods of the contest but were made to work for the win by a disciplined Arrows side under Mandla Ncikazi.

Sundowns created the better chances throughout, yet the game remained finely balanced until Rayners broke the deadlock in the 68th minute.

Rayners, who had spoken before the match about the need to score early and force Arrows out of their defensive shape, eventually found the breakthrough. His goal proved decisive as Abafana Bes’thende struggled to create clear openings against a solid Sundowns defence and goalkeeper Ricardo Goss.

Deep into stoppage time, Rayners went hunting for a second goal that would have given the scoreline a more comfortable look. In the 90+1st minute he got into a promising position, but his effort flashed just wide of the post as Arrows survived a late scare.

The narrow victory was enough for Miguel Cardoso’s side to advance. Sundowns had earlier progressed from the last 16 with a 1-0 win over Marumo Gallants and arrived at this quarter-final on the back of a 4-1 league thrashing of Durban City.

The result keeps their domestic cup ambitions alive ahead of Sunday’s CAF Super Cup fixture against USM Alger.

Golden Arrows, who had reached the quarter-finals after a 4-0 win over Chippa United, exit the competition despite a resilient performance. The two sides had already met three times earlier this season, including a closely contested MTN8 semi-final that Sundowns edged on away goals.

Full-time: Mamelodi Sundowns 1-0 Golden Arrows

Goal: Iqraam Rayners (68’)

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