Orlando Pirates reached yet another Nedbank Cup final following their 1-0 win in their semifinal clash against Marumo Gallants at Orlando Stadium on Sunday.
It was another tricky knockout fixture navigated by the Soweto Giants, whose quest for a third successive title continues. The victory set them up for a dream final against the winner of the second semifinal between two biggest rivals Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs.
In their first Nedbank Cup home semifinal in over a decade, the hosts were greeted by a festive atmosphere in Soweto. They could have rewarded the lively crowd that had turned up with a reason to celebrate just seconds after the first whistle when they piled pressure on the visitors from the jump, resulting in a shot at goal for an unmarked Deano van Rooyen who was denied by Washington Arubi.
The pressure from Pirates did not let up as they camped inside the opposition half, comfortably dictating matters. This continued throughout the opening quarter with Gallants only managing the odd surge up field without troubling Bucs keeper Melusi Buthelezi.
The decisive moments came in the 22nd minute and it was as a result of some excellent interplay from the Buccaneers. The lovely team move was finished off by Kabelo Dlamini who only needed one touch to turn a well-weighted pass from Patrick Maswanganyi past Arubi for the opener.
An error at the back almost allowed the visitors to draw level immediately after conceding, but the defence was able to scramble back to avert the danger. They continued to endure a frustrating afternoon, with further chances at goal not coming by.
This lasted until right at the stroke of halftime when midfielder Edgar Manaka found himself unmarked in front of the Bucs goal, but Buthelezi was equal to the task.
Pirates took their narrow lead into the break and came out looking to create daylight between themselves and their visitors. However, a resolute defensive effort from Gallants prevented any clear-cut opportunities.
There were a few shots flying in from the other end as the pursuit for the leveller also resumed. Sekela Sithole found Buthelezi’s gloves with a low shot from the edge of the box while Daniel Msendami misdirected his effort from a long way out.
It could have been 2-0 with a little over 20 minutes remaining when Evidence Makgopa found himself in space following a quick break from the hosts. The striker however misfired, hooking his shot wide of the target. His replacement Tshegofatso Mabasa got on the end of another attack 10 minutes later, opting to cut back from a tight angle on the right only for the defence to clear.
This preceded a tense period where Gallants upped their quest for the equaliser, winning a few set pieces inside Bucs territory. The hosts held up well in defence nonetheless, and had a few late opportunities of their own with Deon Hotto drawing a save from Arubi with a powerful shot in the dying minutes, followed by Relebohile Mofokeng who also could not find a way past the Zimbabwean international.
Despite the missed chances late in the contest, it was the Soweto Giants who emerged triumphant at the final whistle as they marched one more step towards history.
Pirates XI: Buthelezi, Sibisi, Mbokazi, Van Rooyen, Mako, Makhaula, Dlamini (Ndlondlo 63’), Maswanganyi (Xoki 88’), Nkota (Mofokeng 63’), Hotto, Makgopa (Mabasa 75’).
