At Lucas Moripe Stadium
Orlando Pirates are on course to win their fourth successive MTN8 title after they advance to the final afer their 4-1 penalty victory over Mamelodi Sundowns here on Saturday.
Sipho Chaine was the hero, as he saved two penalties from Tebogo Mokoena and Marcello Allende, with Lebo Mothiba scoring the only penalty for Sundowns. Tshegofatso Mabasa, Sipho Mbule, Deon Hotto and Abdoulaye Marike scored for Pirates.
This is also the third time Pirates beat Sundowns in this competition, including the final two years ago where they also won it on penalties.
The match, the second leg semifinal, had finished 1-1 after regulation time. Sundowns will rue their missed opportunities as they had a chance to put the game to bed while they were leading 1-0 but failed to take them. This allowed Pirates back into the game, as Kamogelo Sebelebele equalised late in the second half after Iqraam Rayners had given the Brazilians a lead early in the match.
Sundowns came into the match with an advantage after scoring the away goal in Orlando last week – where the game also ended 1-1 – while Pirates needed to score to have any chance of making the final. But it was the home side who got their noses in front in the 17th minute after Rayners capitalised on a loose clearance by Lebone Seema and fired into the bottom-corner.
The Buccaneers struggled to create any clear cut chances, and this led to coach Abdeslami Ouaddou to make a change before the interval, bringing in full-back Bandile Shandu for ineffective Patrick Maswangayi. Ouaddou pushed Sebelebele, who was playing at the back, high up, and Pirates improved their game.
But it was Sundowns who looked like scoring, as Mokoena looked to double their lead five minutes later through a free-kick outside the six-yard area, but he fired inches over the top.
Pirates’ best chance of the half came a few minutes before the interval, when Sebelebele beat Divine Lunga on the right and delivered a cross, but Evidence Makgopa was unable to make contact. Sundowns went into the interval in control, and nearly doubled the lead soon after restart, but Rayners’ shot inside the box hit the upright.
The Buccaneers came close to equalising but Downs keeper Ronwen Williams was at his best to deny Thalente Mbatha outside the box as he parried his shot for a corner kick. Pirates found the equaliser against the run of play when Sebelele who scored the equaliser in the first leg pounced again to repeat the feat.
The match became cagey later on with a couple of misplaced chances from both teams after they both made a couple of changes, and it needed penalties to decide the winner, and Pirates went on to win 4-1 to qualify for the final.
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