Flying start takes Swallows into final

Former Sundowns star Lerato Chabangu bagged a brace and Bennett Chenene also scored to put the Soweto club three goals ahead within 19 minutes of kick-off in this south-western Johannesburg township.

Captain Teko Modise pulled one goal back for defensively brittle Sundowns midway through the first half, but the second did not arrive until the final minute of stoppage-time, when Nyasha Mushekwi netted.

Swallows won the two-leg semi-final 6-5 on aggregate and faces SuperSport United on 22 September for a US$1 million ($962,620) winner-takes-all prize in an annual Cup contested by the top-eight league finishers of the previous season.

SuperSport ended a long barren run in knockout competitions by lifting the FA Cup last season, while a 3-0 triumph at Top 8 holder Orlando Pirates in Soweto the previous day established the Pretoria club as favourite to go all the way.

Pirates had former Blackburn Rovers and West Ham United striker Benni McCarthy sent off in the opening half and goals from Ashley Hartog, Clifford Mulenga and Mabhuti Khenyeza secured victory for SuperSport after a goalless first leg.