Sea Robbers get third chance to snatch silverware
ON a partly cloudy day that looked smouldering out on the field, two classy teams played a measured, cultured, on-the-carpet, probing game.
Pirates made it harder work than they had to as they reached the Telkom Knockout final — their third cup final of the 2013-2014 season — with yesterday’s win over United.
Andile Jali’s strike won it after it was 1-1 at full time. Bucs could have clinched it earlier had the Caf Champions League and MTN8 finalists’ finishing been better.
The home team took the lead to the break through Mame Niang’s 13th-minute header.
United saw less of the ball in a second half that began with Oupa Manyisa’s equaliser. But Bucs could not profit from more chances. Tlou Segolela’s ability to beat players at will but produce a poor final pass or finish was on display again.
Pirates coach Roger de Sa brought back captain Happy Jele from the suspension that kept the right-back out of the 2-0 defeat to Al Ahly in the second leg of the Caf Champions League final. Jali was also back from suspension, and fit having gone off injured in the 49th minute after a stormer in Bafana Bafana’s 1-0 win over Spain.
After a flying start to the season under Cavin Johnson, Matsatsantsa had recovered from a minislump with a 3-1 home win over Golden Arrows. Like most PSL teams in this stop-start season, they were frustrated to have had a two-week break after that.
As for Bucs, not a lot more can be said of SA’s continental heroes of 2013. They are probably a bit fatigued, but also on a high.
Their two-and-a-half month schedule of gruelling fixtures has forged them into a military unit. Somehow tireless Pirates were more energetic than well-rested United.
“At the end we were fortunate, we got the result,” De Sa said. “It's our third final in a row and hopefully it can be third time lucky.”
A long pass from deep by Sameehg Doutie led to United’s opener.
Thuso Phala received the ball on the left and picked out the one man Bucs should have been marking, Niang, with a chip across goal. The Senegalese striker’s header went in off goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa’s hand.
Sifiso Myeni’s lob across the United penalty area found Manyisa free on the right, but the Bucs playmaker was unable to bundle a finish past Ronwen Williams.
United had a good chance to make it 2-0 in the 21st minute as Doutie put Phala through on the right, received the ball back off balance and ballooned his shot.
United had a setback when Williams, unable to continue after being injured in a clash with Manyisa, was replaced by Rowen Fernandez. The former Bafana keeper did not have to wait long to get his first touch, deflecting Segolela’s sharp crack at goal for a corner.
Seconds after referee Daniel Bennett’s restart Pirates equalised. Lennox Bacela and Manyisa’s onetwo ended with the latter perfectly placed to punt a low finish from just on the right of the six-yard box.
Myeni, fed by Manyisa on the edge of the area, had time to make space for a shot that went wide. Pirates had a third chance in the half when the ball was worked via Manyisa to Bacela in the 61st. The striker stumbled on his first shot then scooped high.
In injury time Segolela stole the ball from Sibusiso Khumalo and fed substitute Collins Mbesuma, who forced a save from Fernandez.
The Mr Hyde side of Segolela showed again in the first half of extra-time when he scythed a leftfooted shot wildly wide of the corner flag.
Manyisa’s pass stabbed through to Mbesuma brought the best from the Zambian, who controlled with his left, turned and hit the post.
Finally Bucs scored in the emphatic style of the dynamic Jali, who played a one-two with Mbesuma and burst through the middle, then simply placed the ball past Fernandez.