Monnapule Saleng played a game of his life when he helped Orlando Pirates defeat Mamelodi Sundowns 3-0 at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Saturday.
The young Pirates dribbling wizard scored twice and Pirates advanced to the finals of the MTN8. Kermit Erasmus scored the other goal for the Buccaneers.
The match had all the ingredients of a cup game, tackles were flying and a red card. Both goalkeepers were kept busy and the fans sang and chanted the entire 90 minutes. Credit must go to the supporters in Polokwane who filled the stadium to capacity and created an electrifying atmosphere. The players too came to the party and displayed entertaining football.
Pirates had a better game plan and were tactically superior to Sundowns who were flat and did not have width. Pirates utilised their trusted 4-4-2 formation and strangled Sundowns who opted for a limiting 3-4-3 layout. This resulted in the Pirates wingers having free runs and troubling fullback Aubrey Modiba. Saleng took advantage and dribbled Modiba to create the first goal that was headed into the net by Erasmus, as early as the eighth minute.
Sundowns tried to fight back but found Pirates defence on top of their game. The Brazilians missed the services of their gunman Peter Shalulile who is recovering from an injury. Themba “Mshishi” Zwane also had an off-day and this left Gaston Sirino, Teboho Mokoena and Marcelo Allende to dictate terms in midfield.
Pirates stopped the Sundowns juggernaut and did all the hard work in the first leg at Orlando Stadium when they outplayed the Brazilians and came to Polokwane with the advantage of not having conceded an away goal.
Yesterday, they made life difficult for Sundowns with the early goal, meaning that Sundowns needed to score at least two goals to win the match.
A scoring draw was not going to be good enough for the Brazilians as they went in search of the equaliser but found the Pirates back in top form. At the end of the day, the Brazilians were outplayed and outclassed. Pirates will face the winner between AmaZulu and Kaizer Chiefs who are playing on Sunday afternoon at the Moses Mabhida.
☠️ 🤴🏾 Man of the Match | Monnapule Saleng
⚽️ FT || @Masandawana 0 – 3 @orlandopirates
🥅 8' @Erasmus_95
🥅 83', 90'+ Saleng⚫️⚪️🔴⭐️#Matchday #MTN8#OrlandoPirates#OnceAlways pic.twitter.com/XuHk10i4tf
— Orlando Pirates FC (@orlandopirates) October 22, 2022
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