Golden Arrows' MTN8 semifinal exit produced one of the most bizarre moments of the South African football season as their players appeared to celebrate at fulltime, believing they had won the game 3-2.
Arrows had taken a 1-0 advantage from the first leg and entered the return fixture knowing a positive result would be enough to secure a place in the final. However, a 3-2 defeat in the second leg saw the tie finish 3-3 on aggregate.
That aggregate score appears to have caused confusion among the Arrows players and technical team, who seemingly believed the contest was headed for penalties.
But the MTN8 regulations state that away goals are used to separate teams when aggregate scores are level. Sundowns' two away goals from the second leg proved decisive, giving them the edge and sending them through to the final despite the aggregate score being tied.
MISREADING THE SITUATION
As the final whistle blew, some Arrows players appeared upbeat, with coach Pitso Dladla later suggesting there had been confusion over the scoreline. Video footage even showed Junior Dion seemingly believing Arrows had won 3-2 and progressed.
In reality, Sundowns had already done enough to advance. While Arrows focused on the 3-3 aggregate score, the decisive factor was Sundowns' two away goals. After losing the first leg 1-0, the Brazilians scored three times on the road, leaving Arrows needing one more goal to go through.
It was a costly misunderstanding and one that immediately brought back memories of Bafana Bafana's infamous AFCON qualifying blunder in 2011
BAFANA BAFANA'S FAMOUS AFCON QUALIFICATION ERROR
The scenes brought back memories of October 2011 when Bafana Bafana mistakenly celebrated qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations after a 0-0 draw against Sierra Leone in Nelspruit.
At the time, South Africa believed they had done enough to reach the 2012 AFCON tournament. Players celebrated on the pitch, supporters cheered from the stands and many thought qualification had been secured.
However, Bafana had misunderstood the qualification rules.
South Africa's camp believed goal difference would determine the standings if teams finished level on points. Instead, the competition used head-to-head records as the primary tiebreaker. Once the calculations were completed, it became clear that Bafana had not qualified at all.
What should have been a celebration turned into one of the most embarrassing moments in the history of South African football.