Saleng’s stunner seals MTN8 final
Orlando Pirates (1) 1 AmaZulu FC (0) 0
● Monnapule Saleng gave Orlando Pirates further reason to celebrate their 85th anniversary with his exquisite free kick, earning the Buccaneers their 11th top-eight trophy.
Saleng’s 25th minute strike gave the Buccaneers a 1-0 victory over AmaZulu FC, the Durban side that was looking to cap their 90th anniversary celebration with this MTN8 trophy in their hands.
Winning the gong for the fourth time (they won it in 2010, 2011 and 2020) means Pirates will get to keep it forever in their cabinet as the current sponsors — who are celebrating 15 years with the PSL this season — have said they will design a new one for the coming seasons.
The game was always tilted in Bucs’ favour, especially in the first 45 minutes when Usuthu keeper Veli Mothwa was the busiest. Mothwa was, however, guilty of not reading Saleng’s free kick that hit the roof of the net, giving the Bucs striker his third goal in this tournament after scoring a brace in the semifinals, where Bucs ousted defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns 3-0.
There were always fears that Pirates, despite being overwhelming favourites coming into this encounter, could disappoint their fans who filled the iconic Durban venue. Pirates lost seven of nine cup finals since 2013, three of them in Caf club competitions, while the other four were in the domestic league. They include a shock loss over Baroka FC in a Telkom Knockout final in Gqeberha in 2018.
Bucs started better in this match with Saleng, Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo, Timm Miguel and Kermit Erasmus taking the game to Usuthu.
Overall, though, the game lacked the spark associated with a final. Pirates decided to play deep into their own half in the second half, allowing AmaZulu to attack them when they had the ball.
AmaZulu substitutes Lehlohonolo Majoro and Dumsani Zuma gave their team more attacking options but Bucs just managed to keep their lead, with their Ghanaian goalkeeper Richard Ofori managing to make a few telling saves.
Pirates coach Jose Riveiro made two forced changes from the team that lost 1-0 to Soweto rivals Kaizer Chiefs last week, with goalkeeper Siyabonga Mpontshane seemingly paying the price for letting Yusuf Maart score the goal that lost Bucs the Soweto derby.
Bucs captain Innocent Maela also watched his team from the stands after failing a late fitness test from the injury he picked up in the Soweto derby.
Ofori, who had missed Pirates’ last four matches due to injury, boosted his chances to represent his country at the Fifa World Cup in Qatar later this month, while Tapelo Xoki took Maela’s place in a Pirates defence that started the match with three central defenders.
Usuthu had the privilege of being watched and supported by the newlycrowned Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini as they attempted to win their second cup competition in SA football after last winning one 30 years ago when the king was an 18-yearold prince, while their French-born coach Romain Folz was just a two-year-old toddler.
Though defeated, there was no denying Usuthu were the better side in the last 45 minutes as they pinned Bucs in their own half while they tried their best to create openings.
With no Caf commitments to worry about this season, Bucs will be expected to challenge for more honours in the PSL. But their performance in this match and the fact that they’ve lost four league matches in 13 outings, suggests they will need to up their game and not rely only on Saleng to give them a result as big as the one they got in Durban.