Pirates crowned MTN8 champs after Saleng stunner
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MONNAPULE Saleng scored the only goal of the match as Orlando Pirates edged Amazulu 1-0 at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban last night.
The Buccaneers won their second MTN8 Cup in the last three years and it was a first for new coach Jose Riveiro.
This latest victory for Pirates means they have now won the competition a record four times (2010, 2011, 2020 and 2022), the most since MTN took over sponsorship of the competition in 2008.
Saleng, who has had an MTN8 campaign to remember, scored an incredible free kick to put his side ahead in the 26th minute.
The 24 year old capitalised on the poor positioning of Amazulu goalkeeper Veli Mothwa and curled his effort into the top right hand corner, giving the Bafana Bafana international no chance to recover.
The Buccaneers coach Riveiro made a bold decision ahead of this encounter as he reintroduced Richard Ofori in the Pirates goals, a move that didn’t surprise many following Siyabonga Mpontshane’s massive error in the Soweto derby.
Many had predicted that the deciding factor in this year’s final would be the level of aggression and control in the middle of the park, therefore the Sea Robbers welcomed the return of Miguel Timm to battle the experience of George Maluleka on the opposite end.
The home side on the day, Pirates, suffered a heavy set-back when they lost defender Nkosinathi Sibisi inside the first minute, Paseka Mako coming on in his place.
The early interruption did not put a damper on proceedings as the match began at a high tempo with both teams looking to grab the early advantage and perhaps Pirates should’ve scored in the 16th minute.
The minuscule figure of Saleng somehow managed to find room in between Amazulu defenders but his headed effort went straight into the grateful hands of Mothwa.
Needing an immediate response the Usuthu bench introduced former Pirates man Lehlohonolo Majoro in place of Augustine Kwem who was largely ineffective in the first stanza.
With the hopes of a province on their shoulders, Amazulu sought a way back into the game but their dominance of second half possession yielded no results as they created no clear goal scoring opportunity, their best one coming for Majoro in the 63rd minute.
Following a mix-up during a corner, Pirates failed to clear their lines and the ball landed on Majoro at the far post but his attempted header rebounded off the crossbar with Ofori in no-man’s land.
In the end the cup pedigree of Pirates did the business and they were crowned 2022 MTN8 champions.