Orlando Pirates booked a place in the final, after drawing 1-1 with Mamelodi Sundowns in the second leg of their MTN8 semi-final at a sold-out Loftus on Sunday afternoon.
Sundowns winger Elias Pelembe’s 63rd minute match opener was cancelled by a long-range strike from Pirates midfielder Oupa Manyisa six minutes later to see the Pirates, the trophy’s defending champions go through with a 4-3 aggregate score having won the first leg 3-2 at Orlando Stadium last weekend.
In the competition organiser’s dream, they are set to play Soweto arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs — who beat Ajax Cape Town in the first semi-final — in the final of the R8-million rand trophy where the venue was announced to be 96 000-seating FNB Stadium in Nasrec on September 10 after the match.
Pelembe had scored with a great lob over goalkeeper Moeneeb Josephs after a good ball from midfielder Lebogang Mokoena that gave the Brazilians a temporary advantage.
Manyisa rattled a stunning long-range shot from nearly 30 metres out — an early season contender for goal of the season — giving goalkeeper Wayne Sandilands no chance to pull the Soweto giants back into the lead and knock the wind out of a Sundowns second-half revival.
Pirates, though, had been the dominating team in both matches, and were fluent while Sundowns — who were the home team — showed flashes of the ability of their highly-talented outfit.
First goal
First to make an attempt at goal was Pirates captain Lucky Lekgwathi’s long range free-kick in the opening minutes that sailed narrowly past the posts.
Shortly before the interval, Happy Jele went on a run on the right channel that saw the right-back’s blasting effort go over the bar.
Sundowns’s best chance of the half fell to former Pirate Teko Modise midway when the midfielder’s attempted chip on the edge of the box sailed over the bar.
With the scores still deadlocked at 0-0 at the break, Pirates were the first to go on the offense with midfielder Andile Jali’s ambitious shot from a distance in the opening minutes not troubling Sandilands in the Sundowns goal.
Defender Siyabonga Sangweni soon found himself in the box but mishit winger Tlou Segolela’s cross from a free-kick on the left channel with his weaker left foot.
On the hour mark, striker Thulasizwe Mbuyane poorly headed over bar in the box from a well weighted cross on the right flank from winger Dikgang Mabalane.
The game gained some momentum after both sides scored with Sundowns losing spark and concentration at crucial times.
Pirates could have put the match beyond doubt in the closing minutes, with substitute Sameehg Doutie finding himself unmarked in the box with 10 minutes left to play, but only found the side netting from Segolela’s cross on the left side.
Segolela again turned provider for another substitute moments later when striker Bongani Ndulula side footed his cross wide of goal with just Sandilands to beat. — Sapa