For the third season running, Orlando Pirates will appear in the Nedbank Cup Final. The Sea Robbers saw off Marumo Gallants in Sunday’s semi-final with a 1-0 win at Orlando Stadium, ensuring they have the chance to defend their Cup for the third time season in a row.
How the Sowetans reached the final
Kabelo Dlamini was the match winner against Gallants after getting on the end of a low-driven cross from Patrick Maswanganyi inside 25 minutes. Pirates enjoyed the bulk of possession during the 90 minutes and looked threatening with each wave of attack.
Gallants failed to trouble the Buccaneers’ backline as they controlled the bulk of possession to grind out a 1-0 win. Chiefs on the other hand, needed to overcome the dominant force in South African football in the form of Mamelodi Sundowns away from home. A thrilling encounter unfolded at Loftus Versfeld as the Amakhosi went toe-to-toe with the Brazilians for the right to meet Pirates in the final. Masandawana opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time with Chiefs restoring parity 12 minutes after the restart. Ashley du Preez popped up in the 89 th minute to stun Sundowns and march into the final.
Soweto Derby showdown to decide Nedbank Cup
Two of South Africa’s biggest football clubs will collide in Durban on Saturday May 10. It will be the first time in nearly two decades that the Soweto rivals lock horns in the final of the Nedbank Cup with the last final showdown coming in the National Cup final back in 2006 when the tournament was named the Absa Cup. The Glamour Boys went on to lift the Cup that year after prevailing in a penalty shootout following a goalless draw after Extra Time. Chiefs and their fans will be hoping to replicate the result as they hope to end their desperate decade-long hunt for a trophy.
Pirates keep treble dreams alive
Remarkably, Jose Riveiro, is yet to taste defeat in the Nedbank Cup and he could very well leave South Africa with an undefeated record in the competition. The Spaniard has chosen to leave Pirates at the end of the season when his contract expires and he may just leave Orlando Stadium with the perfect parting a gift – a treble.
The Sea Robbers reached the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League where they’ll face battle Pyramids over two legs for a spot in the final. Riveiro’s men still stand a mathematical chance of catching Mamelodi Sundowns in the Betway Premiership title race. The Buccaneers find themselves 12 points behind the Brazilians with three games in-hand.
If Riveiro’s men were to win those three fixtures, it would put them just three points behind with a handful of fixtures to play, making for an intriguing conclusion to the campaign that could go down to the final day. Riveiro revealed that he and his team are taking one game at a time as they look etch their names in the history books.
Chiefs on course to end trophy drought
It feels like forever since Kaizer Chiefs and their fans last celebrated winning silverware with that 2014/15 league title win now a distant memory. Indeed, Chiefs are the most successful team in Nedbank Cup history with 13 titles to their name but their last one came in 2013. The bulk of those 13 triumphs in the 1970s and ‘80s while they’ve lifted the trophy just thrice in the last 33 years. Nasreddine Nabi awas brought to Naturena to help the club rediscover its former glory and that could begin with silverware in his first season. Standing in his and the Amakhosi’s way are their fierce Soweto rivals, who seem to have cracked the code for winning this specific Cup.
