Both Pirates and Sekhukhune had to work hard for wins

Orlando Pirates and Sekhukhune United both had to work hard at the weekend to earn their places in the Nedbank Cup final at Loftus Versveld on May 27. 

The two sides were taken to extra time in their semifinals by Kaizer Chiefs and Stellenbosch FC, with Babina Noko forced to take the extra step of having to negotiate a penalty shoot-out at a lively Danie Craven Stadium on Sunday evening.  

While Pirates reached their eighth final of SA’s version of the FA Cup in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) era — they won three and lost four of their previous seven — it will be Sekhukhune’s maiden appearance, the sixth season in succession that a different team will be making their debut in the showpiece since 1996. 

For the Buccaneers Saturday’s victory was especially sweet as manifested by their euphoric post-match celebrations. Not only did they overcome an old enemy that has had bragging rights over them for more that two years, they also finally halted a frustrating five-game losing run in official Soweto derbies.   

It was Pirates’ first win over Chiefs since January 30 2021, when Josef Zinnbauer’s side beat Amakhosi 2-1 in a first-round league game that was played behind closed doors at the Orlando Stadium due to the Covid-19 lockdown.  

In a clash that produced lots of goalmouth action in front of a capacity crowd, Yusuf Maart’s 79th-minute strike cancelled the lead taken by Pirates when Kermit Erasmus opened the scoring after only 14 minutes. Just when it seemed the game would go to penalties, Sandile Mthethwa’s 113th minute header secured his team’s place in the final for the first time since June 24 2017, when they were thumped 4-1 by SuperSport United. 

Saturday’s defeat means Chiefs’ trophy drought will stretch into a record-extending ninth season. Gallingly for their fans, their barren run continues at the same time as Pirates are chasing a cup double, having already claimed the MTN8 in November.  

Amakhosi are also all but out of the race for the coveted second Champions League spot which the Buccaneers are well placed to claim. How Chiefs fans would love to swap just one of their previous five derby wins for an opportunity to reacquaint themselves with some elusive silverware.

For Pirates, who stretched their unbeaten run to an impressive 10 games, Saturday’s victory presents them with an opportunity to win the Nedbank Cup for the first time since Vladimir Vermezovic’s side beat BidVest Wits
3-1 in the 2014 final.  

Not surprisingly, coach Jose Riveiro was ecstatic after reaching another Cup final in what is turning out to be a successful debut season for him, more so after his credentials were questioned at the start of his tenure by some sections of the media and the Pirates fan base.  

“I am the proud coach and not the winning coach, I don’t win games. I am very proud of the people who are working with me, the players that I am trying to lead in the best way possible. It’s just a semifinal, we’re going to a final now and we’re not going just to be there, we want to be champions,” the amiable Spaniard said.   

The second semifinal was highlighted by a series of ironies. First, the two top-scoring teams in this season’s competition failed to ripple the net after 120 minutes of cagey action and then the prolific Iqraam Rayners, who netted 15 goals in 11 games for Stellies before Sunday’s encounter, had his penalty saved by goalkeeper Ntokozo Mthethwa who replaced Badra Sangare for the shoot-out.

Stellenbosch adopted a similar strategy by bringing on Sage Stephens to take over from Lee Langeveldt. Stephens managed to save only Sibusiso Vilakazi’s spot kick as Sekhkhune won the shoot-out 4-3. 

Brandon Truter’s side, who did the double over Kaizer Chiefs in the league, will savour the occasion of a first-ever appearance in the Nedbank Cup final, the third time in a row that a Limpopo-based team has done so.   

Qualifying for the final should also book them a place in next season’s Confederation Cup. With Pirates in pole position to claim a place in the Champions League, Babina Noko will in all likelihood go into the draw for the Confederation of African Football’s second-tier competition either as Nedbank Cup winners or runners-up should Pirates, as expected, finish second in the league. 

The two sides meet in a vital league encounter at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday in what should be a good dress rehearsal for the final. Victory for Pirates, who will be out to avenge October’s 2-0 first-round defeat, should take them to within a point of confirming the runners-up spot provided their closest challengers SuperSport United claim all three points when they meet Chiefs on Saturday. Anything less could see Pirates wrapping up the race for the runners-up spot.