Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Sipho Chaine was the hero after he saved three penalty kicks that earned the Buccaneers the 2023 edition of the MTN8 Cup at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban last night. At the end, Pirates defeated favourites Mamelodi Sundowns 3-1 via penalties as they defended the trophy they won last season.
While the Durban crowd filled the stadium to capacity and created a razzmatazz and an electrifying atmosphere, the match will not go down as one of the most exciting cup finals.
It was a rather drab affair and the gale force wind contributed to a scrappy encounter. The wind made it difficult for the two teams to play their normal flowing football with the ball and passes going wayward.
Pirates opted for their favourite 4-3-3 formation while the Brazilians went for a more fluid 3-4-3 layout. But this resulted in a bit of congestion and traffic in midfield and as a result chances were few and far in between, except for some sporadic outbursts here and there.
With Sundowns playing against the blowing wind, they were erratic at the back and defended anxiously. They were not comfortable playing from the back, like when Ronwen Williams almost gifted Pirates a goal when he grabbed the ball in his box and referee Ayabonga Tom signalled for an indirect free-kick inside the penalty area. However, Bucs players fluffed the opportunity and wasted the set-piece.
Despite a lethargic display, the game had all the ingredients of a cup final, with tackles flying, missed chances and the crowd on its feet throughout. There was also a major scare when a clash of heads occurred between Mothobi Mvala and Nkosinathi Sibisi. Mvala was left bleeding and played bandaged for the rest of the match while Sibisi was later replaced. He left the field in tears as he was forced off it by the Buccaneers medical team and was replaced by Olisa Ndah.
Sundowns created the better scoring chances when skipper Themba Zwane connected to a Peter Shalulile pass but the Sundowns skipper fired his shot straight at the Bucs goalkeeper who pulled a brilliant save.
Shalulile was next to squander a golden opportunity when his header, with the keeper at sea, missed the target. Shalulile is Sundowns’ most trusted gunman and Pirates knew they had dodged a bullet. Pirates also had chances of their own and Ndah rose majestically, but his header flew over the goalposts on the stroke of half-time.
As the clock ticked, the game opened up with both teams going at each other. Pushed forward by the wind, Sundowns started firing long-range efforts at the Bucs goals without success. Sundowns can feel a little hard-done by the referee after two clear penalty calls were ignored after a handball by Bandile Shandu and a late tackle by Chaine. The two sides continued to huff and puff in extra time but the goals were just not coming.
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