After the teams were tied at 1-1 after extra time, penalty kicks were used to find a winner and the Brazilians prevailed in the shoot out winning 5-4.

Since 1996 Sunday’s defeat was only Chiefs second loss to the Brazilians in eleven cup meetings, since the inauguration of the Premier Soccer League. Chiefs only other loss to Sundowns in a cup match was in the 2000 – 2001 BOB Save Super Bowl Semi – Finals, close to seven years ago. The eerie similarity of that game to Chiefs most recent loss to Sundowns is that those two losses are the only cup games contested by The Amakhosi and Sundowns on a Sunday and Chiefs were the home team on both occasions.

Any given Sunday

On the 29th April 2001 Raphael Chukwu scored a brace to succumbed Chiefs to their first defeat to Sundowns in a Cup game since the PSL began in 1996 – 1997. Going into that game played on a balmy Sunday afternoon at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, Chiefs had defeated Sundowns in four previous cup encounters and it proved to be a bad Sunday for Chiefs who were the defending BOB Save Super Bowl Champions at the time. Of the eleven cup games played between the two teams eight have been played on a Saturday seven of which were won by Chiefs, while the 1997 – 1998 Rothmans Cup Final had to be replayed. In the first instance the game played on a Saturday afternoon ended in a draw during the subsequent replay which was played on a Wednesday evening saw Chiefs lift the inaugural Rothmans Cup trophy.

What could be derived from this or is it just a coincidence that Chiefs have as yet not beaten Sundowns in a Cup match played on a Sunday over the past twelve years.

Ertugral blight

Muhsin Ertugral had a proud record against Sundowns in cup competition going into Sunday’s match. In seven previous cup games as a coach of a PSL team his team had won six of those games so Sunday’s loss was his second to Sundowns in eight matches. It was also the first time since 1996 that Chiefs have been beaten by The Brazilians in a penalty shoot out, in five previous cup matches that had gone down to the wire, it was Chiefs who emerged the victors from penalty kicks.