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Johannesburg - A Rudolf Bester goal 10 minutes from time helped Golden Arrows come from behind to snatch a 3-2 win over Wits in their Telkom Knockout match at Bidvest Stadium on Friday evening.
Arrows were behind the eight ball in the encounter up until the hour mark, twice going a goal behind in the game.
But equalisers in the 28th and 61st minute from Bonginkosi Ntuli allowed the visitors to stay in touch.
Once the score was locked at 2-2, Wits took their foot off the pedal and the better chances fell to Arrows and were ultimately rewarded for their persistence.
Arrows were the first team to book their place in the quarterfinals of the cup competition with their away win.
Earlier, Wits started the brighter of the sides and broke the deadlock in the sixth minute.
A pin-point curling free-kick from the right hand side from Matthew Pattison found Kwanda Mngonyama in the box, and his clinical header sailed into the corner of the net to give the home side the early lead.
In the 25th minute, Wits player Bongolethu Jayiya drew out Arrows keeper Nkosingiphile Gumede towards the corner flag, and crossed the ball into the middle of the box, but there was not a supporting player to slot the ball home.
Three minutes later, Arrows equalised through a flowing move. Wits were caught napping as a perfect ball left Rudolf Bester running towards the area ahead of the defence, and once Josephs went off his line, Ntuli was on hand to gather the pass and tap the ball into an open net to make it 1-1.
In the 36th minute Pattison had a shot from close range saved with a superb reflex stop from Gumede.
Wits hit the lead again in the 42nd minute. Ayanda Lubelo showed a good turn of pace down the left before delivering a probing ball into the area and gave captain Sibusiso Vilakazi a tap-in to take a 2-1 lead into the break.
In the 61st minute, Arrows scored their second. Ntuli completed his brace from close range to level the scores again, this time at 2-2.
In 72nd minute Bester was left one-on-one with Josephs in the Wits goal but inexplicably lofted his attempt over the crossbar.
Ten minutes from time Bester redeemed himself. After a goalmouth scuffle he was able to get enough on the ball to see it bounce over Josephs and into the corner of the net to make it 3-2 to the visitors.
