Orlando Pirates defender Tapelo Xoki has dismissed the talk that the Buccaneers have been lucky with the draw in the Nedbank Cup.
The sturdy Pirates defender pointed at the Kaizer Chiefs result against Milford FC to back his point up.
Milford, who campaign in the Motsepe Foundation Championship, stunned DStv Premiership top dogs Chiefs, eliminating them by 5-4 on penalties on Sunday.
Pirates, after easing past amateur side Crystal Lake 6-0 in the last-32 round, have now been pitted against second-tier side Hungry Lions in the round of 16.
The draw for the last-16 draw of the “David vs Goliath” cup was conducted on Monday evening. The Buccaneers are the defending champions.
Pirates won the 2023 Nedbank Cup edition after draws against two Championship teams, All Stars FC and Venda Football Academy, before facing ABC Motsepe League (third tier) outfit Dondol Stars in the quarterfinals.
After struggling past Dondol, the giant slayers of the 2023 edition, Pirates met and beat Amakhosi in the semi-finals.
The Soweto giants went on to beat Sekhukhune United in the final to be crowned Nedbank Cup champions.
Milford a good example
Speaking to the media at the last-16 draw on Monday, Xoki said Milford eliminating Chiefs was the perfect example of how tough it is to play against lower-division teams.
“I think the results of the tournament have shown in the past that there is no such [thing as an easy draw]. We saw a result where a lower-division side took out a big team,” Xoki told Sunday World.
“So, for us to say we are lucky, it can’t be the case because these teams have proven themselves, and we should give them the respect that they deserve.”
Xoki, who was named man-of-the-match after scoring a brace against Crystal Lake, continued: “They are in the tournament as anyone is, they are in it to win, and for us, to just take it one game at a time, as important as it is; there is no lucky draw.
“We only wanted a home fixture, which we got. But in terms of the draw, we don’t think since it’s a lower division side, we will easily go through to the next round.”
