Pirates have a shot at redemption in Cup final

ORLANDO PIRATES might have something to celebrate on their 80th anniversary, after the Buccaneers limped into the Nedbank Cup final with a 1-0 win over Golden Arrows at the Princess Magogo Stadium in KwaMashu yesterday.

Pirates registered their first triumph in five assignments when defender Abbubaker Mobara’s first-half header settled the affair for a lethargic looking team. Even with a side freshened up with several changes from their last outing, the Bucs looked jaded and were lucky not to concede an equaliser at the death when Arrows heaped the pressure on them.

Pirates made three changes to the team that started their league outing against Ajax Cape Town last week. Among the changes, attackers Riyaad Norodien and Tendai Ndoro dropped to the substitutes’ bench while Mpho Makola and Thamsanqa Gabuza enjoyed a starting berth, with the latter playing against his former club in his home town.

Arrows coach Clinton Larsen went for consistency, making one forced change to the team that lost 1-0 to Cape Town City in the league last week. Nduduzo Sibiya made it into the starting line-up in the place of suspended Zimbabwean international midfielder Danny Phiri.

Sibiya took his chance to impress and made early forays into the Pirates area, but fluffed his opportunity when they had their best opening midway through the first period. Wayde Jooste did the dirty work of stealing the ball from defender Marc van Heerden and cut it back for Sibiya but instead of shooting, the midfielder elected to pass to striker Knox Mutizwa and the move broke down.

Shortly thereafter the home team were punished for that miss. Referee Phillip Tinyani awarded Pirates a soft free-kick for a foul by Musa Bilankulu. Mpho Makola dipped a curler towards the near post where Mobara, 34th minute winner.

It was the ideal start for a struggling Pirates side. Sitting a lowly 11th in the league with only a mathematical shot at getting into the top half of the standings when they face the same team in the final round of matches next weekend, the Cup represents their only chance to win some silverware to celebrate their 80th anniversary.

Mobara’s goal would have come as a relief and a confidence boost for a Pirates side that had not won or scored in their last four outings. Their last away victory coincidentally came in the Cup, when they thumped Free State Stars 4-1 in the quarter-finals.

Seemingly they were destined to advance to the final. Despite their underpar season Pirates came into the tie with a dominant record against the hosts. They beat the Durban team 2-1 and 3-1 in the Telkom Knockout and league respectively. They rode their luck towards the end when Sibiya’s free-kick struck the bar in optional time.

More importantly for Pirates it saw them sail into the final against SuperSport. That clash will be held at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on June 24. It’s a repeat of last year’s final, a clear chance at redemption for the Soweto giants. headed in for the THABO SENONG will need to sort out his national Under-20 team’s defensive frailties if they are to stand a chance of surviving their group in their remaining two Fifa Under-20 World Cup group stage matches.

Amajita opened the scoring through Grant Margeman, after he received a lob pass and found himself unmarked in the 18-yard area.

The midfielder easily controlled the ball with his chest and blasted it towards goal, where it was deflected into the back of the net by Japan’s defence.

In the second half, Koki Ogawa made up for earlier misses and scored an equaliser just two minutes after the break. The striker easily tapped the ball past goalkeeper Mondli Mpoto. Japan then proceeded to take full control of the game, scoring the winning goal through Ritsu Doan 19 minutes from the end

Amajita tried to fight back, but they lacked the required aggression up front to help them find an equaliser. LEBOGANG MANYAMA and Rivaldo Coetzee were the big winners at the awards presentations of the two Mother City PSL clubs at the weekend.

There could hardly be any doubters with regards to their success as both Cape Town City’s Manyama and Ajax Cape Town’s Coetzee fully deserved their accolades. And so, as the two teams prepare for their final games of the 2016-17 PSL programme on Saturday afternoon, it’s an opportunity for both Manyama and Coetzee to demonstrate just why their clubs and their teammates rate them so highly.

After a stellar season, in which he has been central to City’s success, Manyama was named as the club’s Player of the Season. In an erratic campaign for Ajax, Coetzee was as reliable and consistent as ever, and he was named as the Player of the Season and the Players’ Player of the Season.

This week, City finish off their league campaign with an away trip to take on Polokwane City, while Ajax are at home to relegation-threatened Baroka FC at the Cape Town Stadium (both 3pm kickoffs).

City, in keeping with their “team first” culture, gave just two awards – Manyama, and then the Most Valuable Player gong going to veteran right-back Vincent Kobola. Both players dedicated their trophies to their teammates.

There were also some fun awards at the City ceremony, with winger Bhongolethu Jayiya playing MC and the players handing out prizes to their teammates for things like Best Dance Move, Complainer of the Year and even Chef of the Season.

The biggest cheer, though, was reserved for Kobola, the 32-year-old who is widely respected throughout the City squad for his advice and leadership.

As City prepare for Polokwane on Saturday, they know they have thirdplace secured. But, at the same time, if Mamelodi Sundowns stumble in their clash with Highlands Park, and City win, then the Capetonians could finish the season in second position.

For Manyama, there is also the added incentive of finishing the season as the PSL’s top goal-scorer. As it stands, going into the final round of fixtures, the City skipper leads with 13 goals, just one ahead of Orlando Pirates striker Tendai Ndoro.

Meanwhile, Ajax, after picking up 14 points in their last seven games (four wins, two draws and one defeat), have rocketed into eighth spot on the PSL standings.

To seal their place, though, they are probably going to need a win against Baroka on Saturday because Maritzburg United, Golden Arrows, Platinum Stars and Orlando Pirates are all in the scrap to get into the top eight.

At the awards night, while Coetzee stole the spotlight, there was also a well-deserved prize for the club’s most promising emerging star, Grant Margeman, who was named as the Rookie of the Season. Not only did the 18-year-old from Bonteheuwel impress in his first season in the PSL, but he has also been the mainstay of the South Africa Under20 squad.

Baroka will be just as motivated, however. They are in the five-team dog-fight to avoid relegation from the PSL or the dreaded promotion playoff spot.

While Wits have already won the PSL title, it’s nevertheless shaping up to be an intriguing finish to the season – in the race for runners-up, in the battle for the top eight and in the relegation struggle.