Cape Town - Polokwane City were knocked out of the Nedbank Cup at the first hurdle as Edward Manqele's second-half brace fired Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhadila to a 2-1 victory at Pietersburg Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Former Chiefs forward Manqele showed his class on the evening as his two-goal haul helped Tshakhuma book their place in the Round of 16, and the achievement is all the more remarkable when one considers the fact coach Sello Chokoe was sacked by the NFD outfit just two days prior.
However, it was a proverbial game of two halves, with Rise and Shine looking fairly comfortable at the half-time break after Mohammed Anas found the top-left corner with a shot from the centre of the box on the half-hour mark.
Promotion-chasing Tshakhuma showed real grit and determination to claw their way back into the contest in the second stanza as Polokwane failed to build on a solid first-half showing.
Manqele opened his account 11 minutes into the second half, firing into the top-left corner to level matters and put Polokwane on notice.
And, with the match entering the final phase, Manqele popped up again in the 86th minute to bag his second of the night and fire Tshakhuma into the draw for the Nedbank Cup Round of 16.