There have been many shock results throughout this year’s Nedbank Cup competition, styled along the lines of the English FA Cup. Even cup specialists Kaizer Chiefs tumbled out of the competition to minnows in a tournament which pits amateur clubs against the so-called big fish.
Now two remain and the Leopards confront newly crowned Absa Premiership winners Orlando Pirates at the sold-out Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga on Saturday in what, on paper, looks like a lopsided clash that can best be described as a heavyweight champion tackling a lightweight for the world crown.
It is not the dream final everybody predicted as most pundits willed amateur side Baroka FC to meet Pirates, but, as it turns out, it is the Leopards who stand on the threshold of history as the first lower-division side to win a major cup. Pirates, on the other hand, may go on, as many predict they will, to win a historic treble.
Former Pirates striker Andries Sebola, who hails from the Limpopo and has followed the Thohoyandou-based Leopards throughout the season, feels that the match is lost for the Leopards before they even troop onto the field. He likened them to sacrificial lambs going to the slaughter by the marauding Buccaneers.
“With due respect to Leopards,” said Sebola. “I know for a fact that they are scared of Pirates and this fear factor will play a key role in the game. I admit that they didn’t reach the final by fluke, but I don’t see them offering Pirates any resistance on the day.
“Confidence has soared to unprecedented levels within the Pirates camp since winning the league championship,” said Sebola. “They won’t struggle at all against Leopards, who will be overawed by the occasion.
“I mean no disrespect to Leopards,” said Sebola, “but I have watched them on countless occasions this season. I watched them eliminate Baroka in the semifinals and, quite frankly, I was not impressed by that performance.
“They [Leopards] looked much better eliminating Vasco da Gama in the quarterfinals. However, against Baroka they were too flat, much too ordinary for my liking and I am afraid they are not even inducing sleepless nights for the Pirates’ technical staff.”
Sebola accepts that a Cup final is a one-off affair and anything can happen on the day. He is also aware that a single mistake or brilliant move can determine the outcome of a Cup final, but even then, he doesn’t expect the Leopards to offer anything special to upset a Pirates team intent on snatching a historic treble.
Indeed, the last time Pirates won more than a double was back in 1973, when hula hoops and polka-dot shirts were all the craze and bell-bottom trousers the fashion statement of the day; when Jomo Sono was still looking as trim as a secretary bird while running riot against any opposition as the team swept the boards and won all five titles on offer.
They are not looking anywhere near that all conquering class of ’73 that included McDonald “Rhee” Skhosana, Blessing “Killer” Ngidi, Elias “Shuffle” Mokopane, Patson “Sparks” Banda, Mkhari, the late Percy “Chippa” Moloi, Oscar “Jazzman” Dlamini, Ronnie “Gandricks” Shongwe, as well as current national U-23 coach Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba.
But looking back at the 2010/11 season, Pirates have been the most hard-working team and even when they lost key players in key positions like Moeneeb Josephs, Senzo Meyiwa, Dikgang Mabalane and Lucas Thwala, they never crumbled, but dug deep into their reserves of energy and came through unscathed.
“[The follow-up to the strength of] Lucas Thwala has been in the midfield, where Andile Jali and Oupa Manyesa have been the most outstanding performers,” said Sebola. “And when the chips are down, Jali has taken responsibility, surged forward and either scored or assisted with a final pass that resulted in a crucial goal.
“Now take Jali, Manyesa and Isaac Chansa: as a group they are untouchable. They are arrogant, yet creative. They keep the frontline constantly supplied with ammunition. Granted, the strike force has not been as lethal in front of goal as one would have expected, but the supply, nonetheless, has been constant.”
Foppe de Haan, Ajax Cape Town’s exiting coach, singled out Jali and Manyesa as the two key players for Pirates, blessed with the ability to dictate any game and, in his view, the duo made all the difference for Pirates this season.
“Jali is good and can make the grade in Europe,” said De Haan. “The other midfielder, he wears number 200 [Manyesa] is also very good. He is influential and I think with a little bit more hard work, he can also crack it in Europe.
“It’s hard to predict the outcome of a Cup final. On the day, it depends on who settles down first. Forget about the gap in standards between lower-division teams and Premiership sides. It is so close these days, it can no longer be used as a yardstick.”
Leopards have nothing to lose, but a lot to gain in this clash. They have already qualified for the CAF Confederation Cup, where they will represent South Africa in the lesser of the continent’s pan-African club competitions, contested by the winners of major cup competitions in each country. The South African Football Association has pledged to offer financial and material assistance to the Leopards in the CAF campaign. It has acted as the perfect inducement for David Thidiela’s team, who certainly face the biggest game of their lives.