Castillo becomes hero in sending Chiefs to MTN8 semi-finals ...

At Athlone Stadium, Cape Town

In a spellbinding showdown that ranks among the best matches of the 2023/24 football season, Kaizer Chiefs orchestrated a dramatic victory over Cape Town City at Athlone Stadium, sealing their spot in the MTN8 semi-finals on Sunday.

The thrilling match witnessed by a packed stadium in the vibrant Mother City, Edson Castillo, the latest gem from Venezuela to grace the midfield of Amakhosi, secured a heart-stopping 2-1 victory against the Citizens with a last-gasp goal during stoppage time.

Veteran defender Marc van Heerden struck first for City, but Cape Town's own former Stellenbosch FC forward, Ashley du Preez, swiftly responded, bringing equilibrium to the pulse-racing match, which Amakhosi were desperate to win, given their start of the season.

Molefi Ntseki, operating as the Head of Technical and Youth Academy, a title that comes with significant responsibility, the former Bafana Bafana mentor is aware of the pressure in being Amakhosi boss.

His tenure could not have started any worse, with a goalless draw against Chippa United, a match in which they should have collected maximum points.

At the same time, in a midweek clash against rivals and defending DStv Premiership champions Mamelodi Sundowns, they fell short, losing 2-1 due to their defensive frailties.

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In Cape Town, however, Chiefs, with the majority of the fan support surging them on, came out the better side in the opening minutes, knowing how important this cup tie is for the team.

Pule Mmodi would rue an early counterattacking chance, which Du Preez laid on a platter for his team-mate with just veteran Darren Keet to beat, but his first touch let him down, and the goalkeeper collected it with ease.

A minute later, Mmodi could have given the Chiefs fans something to roar about again, but instead, he flustered under pressure, losing his composure and driving his foot through the ball, which skied over the crossbar.

City breathed a sigh of relief and seized the initiative in the 23rd minute and responded, having weathered the initial onslaught from the Chiefs.  Unexpectedly, Van Heerden found the net with a header, the ball sneaking over the line following Chiefs' struggle to clear their lines from a corner.

Despite Chiefs captain and goalkeeper Brandon Petersen's attempt to keep the ball in play, the linesman on the far side had already signalled that the entire ball had indeed crossed the line.

Eric Tinkler's charges could have doubled their lead through Khanyiso Mayo, who opted to stay at the club despite offers from the likes of Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns, but the 24-year-old floated his striker over the bar.

It was an opportunity City would rue for the rest of the game as Chiefs equalised moments later.

Du Preez left the defence in his wake like a bolt of lightning, racing ahead with a flawlessly placed through ball from ex-City midfielder Mduduzi Mdantsane. He calmly slipped the ball between Keet's legs with remarkable composure to bring about the much-needed equalizing goal.

Much of the high-tempo action remained in the second half, but goals were non-existent.

Tinkler and Ntseki looked to their bench for inspiration, and Taariq Fielies, Tshegofatso Nyama, Njabulo Ngcobo, Christian Saile, and striker Ranga Chivaviro came on for their respective teams.

The pivotal moment emerged from the visiting team as Castillo provided the finishing flourish to a seemingly lifeless cross, ingeniously slipping the ball between the legs of Keet, securing Nsteki's inaugural victory as the boss of Amakhosi.

At the final whistle, Ntseki celebrated joyously with the substitutes bench and technical team, as his Chiefs side now joins Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates in the semi-finals, who beat Moroka Swallows and Sekhukhune United, respectively.

Elsewhere on Sunday in the late kick-off, Stellenbosch took Gavin Hunt's SuperSport United to extra-time after a goalless 90 minutes at the Peter Mokaba Stadium.

But Steve Barker's charges never-say-die attitude came to the fore as New Zealand-born midfielder Andre de Jong scored midway through first-half in extra time to put the away side in the driver seat.

The Cape Winelands outfit clung onto the slender lead to secure the win, and have been pitted against Pirates in the semi-final, while Amakhosi face Sundowns following the draw on Sunday.

The first leg of the semi-finals are set for the weekend of 2/3 September, while the thrill continues with the second legs on 23/24 September. 

The dates, venues and kick-off times for both fixtures will be revealed in due course.

The final of the competition will take place on Saturday, 7 October.