Orlando Pirates have been presented with a tricky task in their quest to make history in the Nedbank Cup, with Marumo Gallants drawn as their semifinal opponents. The Soweto Giants will be home for the fixture which is scheduled to get underway during the latter part of the ongoing season.
Two games stand between the Buccaneers and a third straight Nedbank Cup title, an unprecedented feat in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) era. They extended their unbeaten run in the competition by edging SuperSport United on penalties in their quarter-final assignment at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday.
The game was decided on penalties after failing to produce a winner following 120 minutes of action where four goals were shared evenly. Next on the Soweto Giants’ sights is the Free State-based outfit, who endured a similar path of the last four.
This is after going all the way against ABC Motsepe Championship log- leaders Durban City on Sunday, pulling through with a convincing win in the shootout. The semifinal draw has now set up a rather unpredictable match-up, according to the two most recent results between the two sides.
They met twice in the league this season with the Buccaneers blowing Bahlabane ba Ntwa out the park with an 8-1 win at Orlando Stadium back in December. Gallants recently exacted revenge for that result with a 2-0 victory in their home leg.
There was also not much to separate the two sides in their only past encounter in the Nedbank Cup, which took place at Peter Mokaba Stadium in the Round of 16 stage of the 2022 edition. Bucs midfielder Phillip Ndlondlo was on target for his former side before his goal was cancelled out by a Bandile Shandu strike in the second half. The lottery of penalties was required to settle the contest, and it was the then-Limpopo outfit that claimed victory in the end on their way to their maiden cup final appearance.
Pirates have now been presented with an opportunity to avenge that result as they contest their first home Nedbank Cup semifinal since triumphing at a similar stage over Mpumalanga Black Aces in 2011. They have since added three more titles to their tally for a total of 10 – the second most in the competition’s history – and are chasing a hat-trick of titles after wins in 2023 and 2024.
Dates, kick-off times and match venues for the semifinals will be confirmed by the PSL in due course.
